When North Port High
School teacher Amy Krukonis
got up to
speak before
the Sarasota t

School Board
on Nov. 21,
she knew she
was doing
something
that very few
of her peers Norris
are willing to
do, and that might get her in
hot water.
She told the school board
that the vast majority of
teachers want it to accept
Norris' resignation.

She handed over the
results of an unscientific sur-
vey of 137 instructional staff
throughout the county. She
asked instructional staff if
they wanted Norris to stay or
go, and for comments.
By Krukonis' count the.
results are overwhelming a
92-percent disapproval rat-
ing.
A week later she updated
her numbers to 380 for resig-
nation, 21 against.
None of the responses was
signed.
Why? Fear.
"People told me over and
over again, 'Don't attach my
name to it.' I have to protect
them," Krukonis said in an
interview.
"Teachers are afraid of

retaliation either losing
their job, being surplused,
moved to another school or
reprimanded in some way."
While it's highly unlikely
that scenario would play out
due to tenure and other pro-
tections, don't tell that to
school staff. Despite federal
laws that protect employees
from retaliation, Krukonis
insists its a distinct possibility.
She's been talked to before
for writing letters to the edi-
tor, she said.
She didn't lose her job, and
it didn't stop her from speak-
ing out.
She hadn't formed an
opinion regarding Norris'
possible retention, she said,
until she compiled the survey.
After listening to fellow teach-

ers, she now supports holding
him to his resignation.
Two cents
The responses to Krukonis'
survey were largely a mixture
of anger and innuendo.
"Let him go, no one forced
him out ... teachers will
become robots and have
many classes and programs
to take ... he doesn't want our
input ... make him go and
give us the opportunity to
select someone who will work
with us and make us want to
work with him."
A, large number likened
Norris' resignation to that of a
school boy who took his ball
home mid-game because he
was losing.
A number of staff said it

wasn't Norris' NeXt Gen plan
they objected to, but a per-
ception of authoritarian rule
and lack of teacher consulta-
tion that resulted in little buy-
in at the school level.
Under those circum-
stances, many said, the dam-
age had been done and it
would be difficult to work
with Norris in the future.
The responses stand in
sharp contrast to what others
in the community have come
to believe is the right thing to
do.
At the same Nov. 21 meet-
ing representatives of educa-
tion foundations, business
leaders and influential com-
munity members applauded
Norris' vision and encour-
aged him to stand up to

schools that just say no to
Landings initiatives.
To them, the push from
school ranks to pressure the
board into letting Norris go is
yet another example of a
school culture run amok.
"For most people, if you
said those things about your
boss, you'd be fired," said
school board president Frank
Kovach, after reading the sur-
vey responses.
Kovach and other board
members side with. Norris
when it comes to lighting a
fire under individual schools
to shift gears and get on
board with NeXt Generation
Learning initiatives. Norris
identified site-based man-

Please see NORRIS, 6A

Jennings: 'This is not about me'

Saluting the SS Santa

SuN FILE PHOTO
Christine Jennings
BY GREG MARTIN
STAFF WRITER

Regardless of whether the
state's test of Sarasota
County's election system
finds no problems with its
electronic voting machines,
candidate Christine Jennings
is vowing to conduct her own

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tests.
She said she's convinced
there were problems with the
machines and she wants to
"get to the bottom" of them-=
for the sake of voters every-
where.
"This is truly hot about
me," said Jennings, in an
interview with the Charlotte
Sun's editorial board Friday.
"This affects your children
and grandchildren. It is criti-
cal that the people who pass
the laws are the people we
wanted to elect."
According to the Florida
Department of State, Jen-
nings, a Democrat, lost the
District 13 congressional race
to Vern Buchanan, a Re-
publican, by 369 votes.
But Jennings has contested
the election, citing hundreds
of complaints her campaign
received from voters who had
difficulty getting the county's
touch-screen machines to
record their votes.
The election also saw an
unusually high number of
"undervotes" in Sarasota
County. There were 18,000
undervotes in the race, a rate
of nearly 15 percent.
The state worked Friday to
complete a test of four of the
1,500 machines used in the
Nov. 7 election. An earlier test
of four machines not used in
the election showed the
machines functioned proper-
ly.
However, Jennings said the
test didn't re-enact actual
Election Day conditions. For
the test, the machines were
placed vertically instead of
horizontally, the test voters
didn't include elderly people
and those running the test
were state staffers who have a
conflict of interest, Jennings
said.
'Dizzying importance'
With independent experts,
Jennings' campaign plans to
conduct a test of six machines
used in the actual election,
said Kendall Coffey, Jennings'
attorney. Six of the machines
would be ones used in
precincts chosen by Jennings'
campaign and the other six
from Buchanan's chosen
precincts.
That test would take about

two weeks, Coffey said.
Also, Jennings is seeking a
court order to compel the
manufacturer of the mach-
ines, Election Systems &
Software, to open the secret
software that runs the
machines to examination by
Jennings' experts.

AUDIT BACKS RESULTS
An audit of touch-screen
machines used in the Nov. 7
general election began at
6:30 a.m. Friday and contin-
ued until 7 p.m.The
machines were then taken off
line and the votes were tal-
lied in the same manner as
on Election Day. The idea was
to determine whether the
machines were accurate in
recording votes cast, not only
for the Jennings-Buchanan
race, but also for a host of
others.
Of the 117,973 total bal-
lots cast in the mock election,
there was a variance of only
two votes and they were
in another race, not the one
between Christine Jennings
and Vern Buchanan for the
District 13 congressional seat.
Jennings plans an inde-
pendent audit and has sued.
the manufacturer of the
machines seeking disclosure
of software codes that she
believes code reveal pro-'
gramming glitches.

Theoretically, a bug in the
software could cause a "dis-
connect" between the tempo-
rary memory of the vote
machine and its long-term
memory bank, said Coffey.
ES&S considers the soft-
ware a trade secret. If a judge
grants Jennings' demand for
disclosure, ES&S will likely
fight "tooth and nail" to
appeal, Coffey said.
Because Jennings has not
conceded the race, the judge
can issue emergency orders
expediting the resolution of
such appeals, Coffey said.
The Jennings campaign is
pushing for the case to be
resolved as soon as possible,
the attorney said.
Please see JENNINGS, 6A

WRONG COMICS
Due to a packaging error at our Charlotte plant, the
comics in today's paper are actually the ones for Dec..10.
We apologize for the inconvenience.

FRONT SECTION

BOB VEDDER
CD RATES
LEGALS
LET'EM HAVE IT
LOTTO

8A
11A
S C RECORD
9A
2A

MORTGAGE RATES
OBITUARIES
OPInIOn
SPORTS
WEATHER

SUN PHOTO BY JEFF TAVARES, jtavares@venicegond6lier.com
One of the more than 40 boats that participated in the Venice Christmas Boat Parade of
Lights on Saturday. Thousands attended the event, a Venice tradition since 1989.
Proceeds from the parade go to support the Venice Youth Boating Squadron, Sarasota
Scullers, Sarasota Crew, Osprey Oars, Aquarian Quest and Boy Scout Troop 1001, as well
as providing a scholarship for someone pursuing a marine-related field of study.

MainStreet under new management

BY ROGER BUTTON
BUSINEWS COLUMNIST

Bruce Crisman, co-owner
of Dick's Shoes of Venice, 219
W. Venice Ave., is the new pro-
gram manager for Venice
MainStreet Inc..
"We're all very pleased
because he is very energetic
and has such an outgoing
personality," said Jean
Trammell, president ofVenice
MainStreet Inc. and owner of
the The Venice Company.

L. *4

Crisman replaces Tom
Opsut, who resigned for per-
sonal reasons
Eighteen years ago Crisman
and his wife, Kathy, were among
the original founders of Venice
MainStreet Recently they were
recognized by the Florida
MainStreet Association as
major supporters and volun-
teers.
She is a past president of
Venice MainStreet. He was
chairman of the Ways &
Means Committee, a board

Venice MainStreet Inc. President Jean Trammell and new
Program Manager Bruce Crisman admire the new downtown
Christmas Lights.

member and organizer of the
recent 1920s dinner dance.
With a background in retail
marketing, he has assisted his
wife in business in Venice for
26 years.
"My goals are to continue
the forward thinking of
MainStreet," Crisman said. "It
is vitally important we con-
tinue the viability for the mer-
chants and try to improve the
idea that MainStreet is a des-
tination to which people
come from all over the world.
"We have a vested interest
in Venice in its entirety," he
said. "People have the mis-
conception MainStreet is
interested in the people in the
immediate area, but that is
not true. I want to see all of
Venice, on and off the island,
succeed."
His intentions are to get
out and let everyone know
there is someone working for
them and Mainstreet, but he
needs some help.
"It is vitally important we
have volunteers to help in
answering the telephone and
taking messages in the office,"
he said. "I welcome inquiries at
484-6722 or 232-8450 during
office hours."

I '

I I

2A VENICE GONDOLIER SUN ALMANAC

WWW.VENICEGONDOLIER.COM SUNDAY, DEC. 3, 2006

LITTLE KNOWN FAMOUS FLORIDIANS
BY JOE "FASTHORSE" HARRILL

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Tropical Santa is OK

with Tropical Bob

65 1;6041'6U 4848U851
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DENNIS WARDLOW was mayor of Key West on April 23,
1982, when the U.S. Border Patrol set up a blockade on
highway U.S. 1 in front of Skeeter's Last Chance Saloon at
Florida City. The blockade denied residents of the Keys
free access to the Florida mainland. Wardlow immediately
issued a proclamation of secession and proclaimed the
"Conch Republic" an independent nation. After a rebel-
lion that lasted a few minutes, Prime Minister Wardlow
surrendered to the admiral in charge of the naval base at
Key West and demanded $1 billion in foreign aid. Thus
began the legend of the independent "Conch Republic,"
which continues to this day.

Owners of bars and night-
clubs may soon face stiff fines
for admitting minors into
their establishments.
On Tuesday, Sarasota
County commissioners un-
animously agreed to hold a
public hearing Dec. 19 to con-
sider an ordinance restricting
anyone younger than 21 from

entering any business in the
county serving alcohol after 9
p.m.
The commissioners debated
the draft language for the ordi-
nance during their board meet-
ing at the Robert L Anderson
Administration Center. Of par-
ticular interest was the section
determining fines.
In the draft, a first offense
would result in a $250 fine. A
second or subsequent offense

would raise the fine to $500.
Three commissioners -Jon
Thaxton, Paul Mercier and Joe
Barbetta felt that the fines
were too low. In a 3-2 vote
(Commissioners Nora Patte-
rson and Shannon Staub dis-
senting), those amounts were
raised to $500 for a first offense
and $1,000 for second and sub-
sequent offenses.
"The board asked for consis-
tency with similar ordinances

adopted by other local jurisdic-
tions in this area of the state,"
said James D. Schulz, criminal
justice policy coordinator in a
written preface to the draft ordi-
nance assembled by county
staff. "Manatee County and the
city of Sarasota have recently
passed such ordinances with
varied language. Therefore, an
ordinance for Sarasota County
must be considered on its own
merits."

Tropical Bob and Mrs. T.B.
visited Fisherman's Village in
Punta Gorda recently. T.B.
wanted to check out a fella
who calls himself Tropical
Santa.
The audacity!
Boats strung with festive
lights bobbed gently in a mari-
na. People sporting all man-
ner of tropical shirts and
dresses mirrored mannequins
behind shop windows. We
could indulge seafood, frozen
yogurt or candy.
Then T.B. heard the "ho, ho,
ho" from a microphone. That's
the signal Santa call, and
T.B. followed an old bearded
gent in a tropical shirt to a
throne where throngs gath-
ered around him to snap pho-
tographs.
Cool. Love the sunglasses,

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Nokomis plan nears approval

Waiting by the water

BY GERALD A. ROGOVIN
CORRESPONDENT

Nokomis' revitalization of
its U.S. 41 commercial corri-
dor has moved one step clos-
er to reality.
With just a few housekeep-
ing procedures required to
complete the plan, its
approval by the Sarasota
Board of County Commis-
sioners is anticipated by e ly
January.
The momentum provided
by the proposed develop-
ment of two hotels at Albee
Road and the highway has
spurred excitement about
area becoming a tourist desti-
nation and a walkable shop-
ping village. That stretch of
U.S. 41 today is composed of
loosely connected and #ut-
dated strip malls, abandoned
gas stations and nearby resi-
dential neighborhoods.
Unanimous endorsement
of the amended Nokomis
Revitalization Plan on Nov 16
by the county planning com-
mission leaves only revisions
in the zoning code to be com-
pleted before it goes to the
BOCC, according to Bruce
Dillon, chairman of the
Nokomis Center Revitali-
zation Advisory Comirttee.
He was praised by several
land planners at the Nov. 16

hearing for his leadership in
bringing the plan to its cur-
rent stage.
The highway in Nokomis
from Albee Road north to
Laurel Road will have a decid-
edly new look when the plan
is implemented. The result of
14 public meetings in 14
months among residents and
representatives of 39 neigh-
borhood and homeowner
associations, the amended
document reflects "new
thinking" since the initial
plan was approved in 2001,
according to John Ask, presi-
dent of the Nokomis Area
Civic Association.
Concern that relatively few
motorists on the highway
have had a reason to stop in
Nokomis was met with an
architectural mandate estab-
lished early in the process
that called for new buildings
to have an "old Florida"
appearance.
Clock towers, display win-
dows, parapets, arcades,
arches and awnings will be
evident in new buildings.
They will be required by a
new, more uniform architec-
tural style. Parking will be
restricted to space behind
buildings. Wider, buffers
extending to 41 will also be
required.
Dillon, who has insisted

that Nokomis become more
pedestrian- and bicycle-
friendly, said that the plan
includes covered long-term
bicycle parking.
Links
Buildings fronting on the
highway will be limited in
height to five stories (65 feet).
Parking will be allowed on the
first floors of office, residen-
tial and retail buildings. There
will be no parking garages.
Some buildings will mix com-
mercial space on lower floors
and residential units above.
The two proposed hotels
could create an attractive new
gateway to the Nokomis
beaches from 41. Finergy
Development LLC, which
purchased a 4.1-acre parcel
on the southwest corner of
Albee Road and the highway,
and Henry Rodriguez, who
owns the 4.9 acres opposite,
on the northwest corner, have
been working since last sum-
mer on ways to tie their prop-
erties together. Both are sites
of abandoned gas stations.
One thought is a bridge at
a third-story level that would
allow pedestrians and shop-
pers to cross between the two
properties on Albee Road.
Finergy's proposal calls for
a four-story condominium
hotel with about 75 rooms for

rent and 22 condominium
units. A retail plazawith sand-
wich and coffee shops, a
restaurant and retail stores
would occupy an additional

Hundreds of people gather along the Intracoastal Waterway to viewthe Venice Christmas
Boat Parade of Lights. Some.people'arrived up to two hours prior to the start.

II.7I~ 141 ElI ~UI5I

Da

VENICE GONDOLIER SUN 3A

qlNDAY.DFC.3.2006 WWW.VENICEGONDOLIER.COM

A 4 ENIC rf~i(I1f ildW WVNCGONDOLIER.CMSSDUNDC 320

Patek: enforcement by carrot and (drum) stick

BY ROLLIE REYNOLDS
STAFF WRITER

At a lean and muscular 6
feet, 4 inches tall an-d-2i
pounds, Venice Code En-
forcement Inspector John
Patek can be quite an intimi-
dating figure when standing
at the door of a suspected
code violator.
Some feel even further
intimidated by his New York
accent and manner, as he
addresses situations and peo-
ple very directly. Fortunately,
he is also quick to smile and
crack a joke, which usually
puts the person at ease.
"We're often responding to
a complaint from a neigh-
bor," said Patek, "who will
think we're-the 'hero.' But the
person they've complained
about doesn't usually see it
that way at all that first
contact with the accused can
be a little tense. They may not
think they've done anything
wrong, or they may be very
aware that they've violated
the rules but be upset about
being reported.
"I try to first explain the
problem and then let them
know how to resolve it.
Injecting a smile and some
humor in the conversation
can go a long way toward
putting the person in a more
cooperative mood."
Complaints include such-
things as overgrown vegeta-
tion, trash and debris, unli-
censed or dilapidated vehi-
cles, or excessive vehicles,
RVs and boats.
"Between May 1 and Oct.
31," said Patek, "we also
enforce the turtle lights ordi-
nance in the. beach areas,
making sure turtle hatchlings
are not attracted away from
the gulf by lights around
buildings and other beach
properties."
Most construction-type
projects require one or more
permits. which must be
obtained at city hall. Inspec-
tors who find nonpermitted
work being done have the
authority to issue a "stop
work" order on the spot.
Work being done by an
unlicensed contractor or
"handyman" is a criminal vio-
lation, which is turned over to
the police department for
investigation.
Enforcement process
Unfortunately, some viola-
tors choose not to cooperate
and comply with the city's
building and zoning codes.
For them, that first contact is

just the beginning.
"The city goes out of its
way to encourage and obtain
compliance before taking
more drastic action," Patek
said. "We issue a warning
first, but if someone remains
noncompliant, we will initi-
ate further contacts with
them, either in person or in
writing, depending on the sit-
uation, before actually issu-
ing a citation.
"If they don't respond to
the citation," he continued,
"the next step is to take the
case before the Code
Enforcement Board, which
can levy a fine. Eventually, the
board can turn the case over
to the city attorney for collec-
tion or foreclosure on the
property. Ultimately, eviction
proceedings can be initiated
by court order, and noncom-
plying structures can even be
torn down."
Varied interests
On his own time, Patek is a
musician who plays saxo-
phone, keyboards, guitar and
percussion, and also arranges
and records music.
One of his current projects
is working on a CD with local
lyricist and vocalist Jaqueline
Resto. It already includes 14
songs they have written
together, from soft Latin
numbers to country-western
to middle-of-the-road rock.
Resto writes and sings the
lyrics, while Patek comes up
with appropriate tunes he
then orchestrates. He plays all
the instruments on individual
soundtracks recorded digital-
ly, and mixes them with her
vocal track for a finished
number.
"We were just doing it for
fun at first," said Patek, "but it
turned out so well that now it
has become a project we
want to complete and take to
the next step of producing for
distribution. We'll start with
the local market and' see
where we can go from there."
Patek is also into physical
fitness and health, combining
a "moderation" diet with a
strenuous workout routine at
home.
"My Total Gym regimen
saves me the time of having
to go elsewhere," he said. "It's
a lot of trouble to have to pay
for a membership some-
where, drive across town, per-
haps change clothes, etc. at a
commercial facility and

never be sure how crowded
it's going to be when you get
there.
Drum circles
An activity Patek helped
organize on two area beaches
is the weekly drum circle. At
Nokomis Beach on Saturday
nights, and at Siesta Beach on
Sunday nights one hour
before sunset in each case -
a variety of percussionists,
dancers and spectators gath-
er to enjoy spontaneous
rhythms and therapeutic
meditation in the natural sur-
roundings.
"A small group of us started
playing just for fun at Siesta
Beach in 1996," said Patek.
"But we immediately drew a
crowd, and people just spon-
taneously started dancing to
whatever beats we came up
with. Since then, the idea has
taken on a life of its own and
become very popular.
"It's become a real tourist
attraction, particularly for
Europeans. When the weath-
er's nice, we often see hun-
dreds of people come out to
the Sunday Siesta gathering
because the beach area there
is so big"
"Each gathering represents
people from all ages and
walks of life," he said.
"Literally, doctors, lawyers,
construction workers, police
officers and firefighters,
young people and retirees are
involved, and usually about
an even distribution of men
and women."

SUN PHOTO BY ROLLIE REYNOLDS
Venice Code Enforcement Inspector John Patek reviews correspondence from one of his habitu-
al-violator files as he prepares a case for presentation to the city's Code Enforcement Board.

"It means something dif-
ferent to each participant,"
said Patek. "But we- always
leave the place cleaner than
when we arrived, and we
have never had a problem
with noise or unruly behavior.
In fact, there is usually a
police presence of some kind
in the area in case some prob-

VENICE SPORTS HALL OF FAME
Nomination Form
The Venice Sports Hall of Fame will be an annual event where athletes, coaches, teams and
supporters of Venice Athletics are recognized. Those chosen will be memorialized on a "'Wall of
Fame" at Bogey's Restaurant. All net proceeds will benefit the Rotary Futures Program at
Venice High School: Deadline for nominations is Monday. January 1., 2007.
The criteria for nominees is as follows: Must be 25 years of age, Must have a Venice community
connection with contributions to Venice athletics. Must be in good moral character.
Nominee Information
Name
Address
City St Zip Phone

DEADLINES TO THOSE IN
THE MILITARY:
To military personnel in
APO.'FPO AE ZIP 093, the
Parcel Airmail deadline is
Dec. 2 and the Priority Mail
and first-class mail
letters/cards deadline is
Dec. 4.

For those in APO,'FPO AE
ZIPS 090-092 and 094-098,
APO.'FPO AA ZIP 340 and
APO/FPO AP ZIPs 962-966,
the Parcel Airmail deadline is
Dec. 4, Priority Mail and first-
class mail letterscards dead-
line is Dec. 11 and the
Express Mail Military Service
deadline is Dec. 19.

giving and Christmas Eve..
Postmaster Gale Childs
said the holiday rush has
begun.
"It's already started,"
Childs said. "As we get into
December it picks up quite a
bit."
She said that from Dec. 10
on, it will increase even more.
'And we're probably going
to hit 50,000 letters and cards
a day," Childs said.
In the past, the post office
has discouraged people from
mailing their cards in red or
green envelopes. Childs said
the post office prefers white
envelopes, but it's fine to use
colored envelopes.
"We've handled the red
and green envelopes, but we
really discourage the use of
red and green ink," said
Childs. "We prefer blue or
black ink (for addressing
envelopes because it) is easi-
est for the machines to read."
If the machine cannot read
a card or package label, it can
create a delay.
She said the post office
hasn't really seen a decrease
in cards mailed, as e-mailed
and other on-line products
have become more prevalent.
"We still have a big push
for cards," said Childs. "We
sold just over 2,000 stamps
(Tuesday)."
To deal with the holiday
rush, additional staff has
been hired to sort and deliver
the extra mail. Childs said the
post office is trying to keep
the stamp machine in the
lobby well stocked.
The best time to go to the
post office is during the daily
lulls about 10 a.m. or at 3 p.m.
The worse days tend to be
Saturday and Monday.
"Right after we open we
have a line, and after 3 there's
a big push, because we close
at 4," said Childs. "Not that we
will have any downtime the

closer it gets to Christmas."
Pack it right
To make sure holiday
packages arrive safely and
intact, the post office offers
several tips, including choos-
ing a box with enough room
for cushioning around the
contents. Place the cushion-
ing all around your items,
then close and shake the box.
If you hear things shifting,
add more newspaper, Styro-
foam or bubble wrap to pad
the box.
Once the box is packed,
tape the opening and rein-
force all seams with 2-inch-
wide tape. Use clear or brown
packaging tape, reinforced
packing tape or paper tape.
Don't use cord, string, or
twine they can get caught
in mail-processing equip-
ment.

SUN FILE GRAPHIC

And don't forget to use the
correct address. If you don't
know the ZIP code for
the package or letter you're
mailing, log onto http://zip4.
usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp.
By entering the street address
and city, the site will find the
proper ZIP code for you.
And if you decide not
to brave the lines at the post

DID YOU FOLLOW THESE DIRECTIONS?
* Have the correct postage for oversize envelopes.
* Do not bundle cards with yarn, staples, paper clips, string, etc.
* If reusing a box, cover all UPC codes and old addresses.
* Insert a mailing address into the box being sent as well as on
the box itself.
- Mail cards, letters and packages out early.

QUICK TIPS FOR PACKING AND SHIPPING
* Don't cover your package in any sort of paper overwrap.
* If you must use paper overwrap of any kind, such as brown
paper, white paper, wrapping paper, etc., you must cover every
inch of the overwrap surface with an approved tape. Masking
tape is not acceptable. There are no exceptions to this rule. Also,
at some shipping or packaging shops, there may be a surcharge
if the staff has to provide tape for you to make your box is ship-
pable or has to take the time to tape up the box. This can be
time-consuming.
- Don't use string, masking, Scorch, Cellophane, electrical or duct
tape.
- Use a strong tape 2 inches or more in width, such as these
approved types of tape: pressure-sensitive plastic tape, nylon-
reinforced tape, water-activated tape, clear packing tape or
brown packing tape.
- UPS & FedEx won't deliver to a P.O. Box, APO or FPO, only to a
physical address.

A SELECTION OF TOP
10 REASONS TO USE
THE CLASSIFIEDS....
To sell your former mother-in-law's
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your dreams or sell the old homestead
when it's time to move on.
. To shop for used golf clubs for the
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investment.)
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owner's life the day he buys/sells his
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Get your money back on the saxo-
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agement, where teachers
have a large say in school
budgeting, staffing and pro-
grams, as one of the road-
blocks to implementing NGL.
The boot
The dichotomy between
school staff and community
sentiment surfaced in anoth-
er series of meetings this
week.
Parent advocates Sue
Memminger and Susan
Jennings held inaugural
meetings for a new parent
group they formed -
Sarasota Parents And
Community Together for
Schools. They're trying to
build a cadre of parents to
help influence school deci-
sions.
They held two meetings
last week: Tuesday evening at
the Jacaranda Library in
Venice andWednesday at
Argosy University in Sarasota.
Tuesday's crowd was a mix
of teachers, parents and com-
munity members, said
Memminger. She was sur-

prised that each of the break-
out groups identified school
site-based management as
troublesome.
Wednesday's crowd, nearly
all teachers, identified an
even greater need for site-
based management. .
The differing viewpoints
are bewildering.
It's a concern, she said.
Whether Norris stays or
goes will be decided in about
10 days. The school board is
scheduled to make a final
decision Dec. 12, following a
Dec. 5 workshop on the issue.
A majority of school board
members previously indicat-
ed an interest in keeping
Norris.
If school staff are unsuc-
cessful in giving their boss the
boot, a new hurdle will have
presented itself- learning to
play together again.
It will be a true test of char-
acter for both employees and
their boss.
You can e-mail Greg
Giles at: ggiles@venice
gondolier.com.

"Like it or not, Christine
has been thrust into the role
of being a test case, a case that
has dizzying importance for
the rest of the country,"
Coffey said.
'No doubt'
An attorney for the
Buchanan campaign, Hayden
Dempsey, said Friday that test
results so far indicate ,no
machine problems.
"This shatters their entire
case," Dempsey said. "There
is absolutely no evidence to
support their false claim that
the machines malfunctioned
- in fact the test results
proved the opposite.
"It is time for Christine
Jennings to call off her
lawyers and the out-of-town
special interest groups and
withdraw this lawsuit," he
said.
Jennings said she has "no
doubt" that "something went
wrong with the election and
that she lost as a result.
She said her campaign
began receiving com-
plaints about the voting
machines the first day of
early voting.
She also cited the fact that
early voting results showed a
17.2 percent undervote rate
while absentee ballot voting

had only a 2.5 percent under-
vote. Early voting was done
on the electronic machines
and absentee ballots were
done on "mark sense" paper
ballots.
Also, she said, precincts on
Longboat Key, an affluent
community where voters can
be expected to be election
savvy, the undervote rate for
those who voted on electron-
ic machines was about 12
percent compared to 1.5 per-
cent on absentee ballots.
"I've lived in Sarasota since
1984, I've been a banker for 20
years, president of five organ-
izations, endorsed by groups
like Planned Parenthood,
Sierra Club and United Auto
Workers," Jennings said. "The
numbers they just don't
add up."
Jennings cited concerns
raised by the National Institute
of Standards' and Technology,
one of the U.S. government's
premier research centers.
In a draft report released
Friday, the institute conclud-
ed that widely used electronic
vote machines "cannot be
made secure," and called for
an independent way to check
their results.
"It's time for this debate
and this discussion," said
Jennings.

BY JACK GURNEY
PELICAN PRESS

Florida authorities have
finally cleared the way for an
$11.8 million south Siesta Key
Beach restoration project by
closing the file on a Blind Pass
Road property owner's last-
minute challenge and issuing
a joint coastal permit for the
work to begin.
A U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers permit is still out-
standing, but should be in the
hands of Sarasota County
officials this week. It could
not be issued until the Florida
Department of Environmen-
tal Protection signed off on
the project.
"I talked with the Army
Corps this (Tuesday) morn-
ing," said Curtis Smith, the
county's project manager,
"and the permit reviewer has-
n't returned from a Thanks-
giving break. I'm trying to find
someone else in the agency's
office to take care of this."
The project was temporar-
ily halted while state authori-
ties considered a last-minute
petition by Nancy Burns
Stratton that challenged the
placement of an erosion con-
trol line and requested an
administrative hearing. It
could have delayed work for a
year.
On Nov. 16, Department
General Counsel Gregory M.

Munson denied Stratton's
petition, but gave her until
Nov. 24 to amend it. The
deadline was extended until 5
p.m. on Monday because
state offices were closed late
last week for the Thanks-
giving holiday.
Stratton has until Dec. 9 to
file a circuit court appeal, but
it probably wouldn't delay an
ambitious project that will
place approximately 877,000
cubic yards of offshore sand
along 2.1 miles of eroded
south Siesta Key shoreline.
"People will begin to see
activity by the second or third
week of December," Smith
said. "Our goal is.to make this
happen as quickly as possi-
ble. The contractor is eager to
get started. A couple of work
boats need to be moved into
place."
Stratton's last-minute peti-
tion to stop the issuance of a
state permit contended an
erosion control line estab-
lished by Sarasota County for
the state was in the wrong
location, according to a sur-
vey she had previously con-
ducted at her expense.
Work on south Siesta Key
Beach must be finished by
May 1, when next year's sea
turtle nesting season begins.
Sand dredging and spread-
ing is supposed to take
between three and four
months.

Pritchard's of Venice

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Input sought on 10-year plan
On Nov. 6, 2007, Sarasota County officials plan to place on the
ballot a referendum asking residents to.conlinue the penny sales
tax from 2010 through 2019. Voters will also be asked to approve
a list of projects that will be constructed with the revenues
generated from the tax. Help develop a project list for the next
phase of a surtax for unincorporated Sarasota County. All of the
meetings begin at 6 p.m. on the following dates:
Tuesday, Dec. 5, Sarasota County Administration Center, 1660
Ringling Blvd., Sarasota
Thursday, Dec. 7, North Sarasota Library, 2801 Newtown Blvd.,
Sarasota
Residents who cannot attend may offer suggestions by
completing a citizen infrastructure survey located at a
neighborhood public library or by visiting the county's Web site
at www.scgov.net/yourpenny. The deadline to submit project
ideas is Dec. 8. For more information about the penny sales tax
meetings, call the Sarasota County Call Center at 941-861-5000.

Sandy Claws Beach Run set for
Dec. 9 at Siesata Beach
Runners from all age groups can claw their way to the finish
line at the 30th Annual Sandy Claws Beach Run. The event will
be held Saturday, Dec. 9 on Siesta Beach, 948 Beach Road,
Sarasota, Race Day registration will begin at 7 a.m. at the Siesta
Beach Pavillion.
The one-mile run begins at 8 a.m. and the timed 5K run begins
at 8:20 a.m. Pre-registration fee is $15 and race day registration
is $20. Pre-regist;ation ends at 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 4, 2006.
Runners may pre-register online until then at
www.parksonline.scgov.net or in person at the Sarasota County
Community Services Green Office Complex at Twin Lakes Park,
6700 Clark Road, Sarasota. Call 941-861-5000.

Manatee Community Col-
lege's popular traffic school
program is in the red, but that
doesn't have officials worried.
They've been working for
four months on a plan to
bring it back into the black,
say college officials.
The popular program
serves 4,000 people annually
through its DUI traffic school
program and another 6,000
through basic driver ed class-
es and other special programs
in Sarasota and Manatee
counties.
The Traffic School Institute
survives on a $908,000 annual
budget. It had a surplus of
$310,000 only two years ago.
That fell to $240,000 last year.
Now it's wiped out entirely.
"There currently exists a
slight negative fund balance,"
said MCC administrator Allan
Rogers, in a report to TSI's
advisory board.
More precisely, it's $5,000
in the red.
Intoxilized
A significant part of the
draw down on TSI's reserves,
note TSI administrators,
came from various moves
and furnishing new campus
offices. The moves are now
completed with up-to-date
technology, giving TSI a pres-
ence at all three of MCC's
campuses.
The bigger problem now is
building a sustainable rev-
enue stream to support the
program.
A changing business envi-
ronment is partly to blame for
lower revenues.
A tiff over law enforcement's
use of the Intoxilizer 5000 alco-
hol-detecting machine is pri-
marily to blame for a huge
dropoff in DUIs. A technical
glitch with the machine didn't
allow it to accurately detect
when enough air was blown
into its mouthpiece. The glitch
has since been fixed, according
(0to [h company that.niakes the
machine.
As many as 300 DUI cases
are on hold until the
machines get the OK and
stale attorneys start to pro-
ceed %idth charges. according
to TSI administrator Pat
McCabe.
To get their licenses back,
those charged must attend
DUI school.
hi recent years DUI classes
accounted for as much as 85
percent of TSI revenues.
Within the last year it
dropped at least 10 percent.
"We are anticipating the
number of DUIs will go up
once the intoxilizer issue is
settled. I have no reason to
believe they are arresting
fewer people," McCabe said.
Competition
TSI administrators also
point to intense competition
from a bevy of online driver
ed courses. Basic driver
improvement courses used to
account for 30 percent of its
budget. Now it's less than 10
percent of its annual $1 mil-
lion budget.
Two technical institutes
run by county school districts
- Sarasota County Technical
Institute and Manatee
Technical Institute now
offer the same basic driver ed
training.
"They didn't used to offer
driver ed classes," McCabe
said. "It has affected our class-
room numbers."
Balancing act
McCabe has been meeting
with top MCC officials over
the past four months to over-
haul the program.
"The program must bal-
ance by the end of the current
fiscal year, according to the
MCC administration," he
said.
TSI is totally fee driven,
and is not allowed to operate
in a deficit, he said

CLASSIFIED

SIRI

- enice Gondolier Sun
To Advertise call 207-1200

"Then you'd be using tax-
payer money. The program
was not designed for that."
To bridge the budget gap,
McCabe made program
adjustments and streamlined
staff.
TSI released one basic dri-
ver ed instructor and two
part-time instructors, saving
$70,000.

Another problem is an
expensive lease agreement it
can't seem to shake. TSI pays
$90,000 a year in rent for its
Main Street office in
Sarasota. There are cheaper
locations, but they're out of
TSI's reach.
"There would be a sub-
stantial cost in breaking the
lease," McCabe said. "We

would be obligated to pay a
portion of the original con-
struction fee to set up the
office."
As a stopgap measure TSI
is subleasing a portion of its
office space to Pride
Integrated Services from West
Palm Beach to recoup
expenses.
It brought back a series of
motorcycle riding courses at
the MCCVenice campus, with
TSI looking to become a
third-party provider for

motorcycle license testing.
It's also looking at getting a
foot in the door of probation
services for teens in trouble.
It applied for a grant in
Manatee County to subsidize
work with teen courts. The
idea is to offer court-ordered
courses for those caught.
shoplifting in lieu of being
required to perform commu-
nity work.
"It has proved pretty effec-
tive," McCabe said, noting 35
percent of those caught

shoplifting are kids.
He's optimistic the pro-
gram cutbacks and new rev-
enue generating measures
will balance TSI's books by
the end of the fiscal year.
"We're here to stay. We've
got the infrastructure in place
and we're, (appropriately)
staffed."

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SOME ORIGINAL PRICES MAY NOT HAVE BEEN IN EFFECT DURING THE PAST 90 DAYS. INTERMEDIATE MARKDOWNS MAY HAVE BEEN TAKEN. SALE PRICES IN EFFECTTHROUGH DECEMBER 4, 2006, EXCEPT AS NOTED. Some
items may be part of a sale in progress. Closeout, clearance, permanently reduced, new reductions and special purchase items will remain at a reduced price after the event and are available only while supplies last. Sale
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Florida's Department of Children and
Families is under fire again.
The latest incident to blacken the state
agency's reputation happened last month
when a judge went so far as to threaten to jail
the head of DCF if the agency cannot explain
why it consistently has failed to get mentally
ill jail inmates into psychiatric treatment as
required by law.
The agency is-also being criticized in Lee
County for failing to remove a young girl
from the custody of a stepfather who had
been accused of abusing her. Despite testi-
mony from the girl, DCF failed to act. The girl
was raped and murdered weeks later and the
stepfather has been charged.
Unfortunately, such problems are nothing
new for DCF, which was under a cloud a cou-
ple of years ago when reporters uncovered
poor record-keeping that led to the agency

actually losing track of some of its young
clients. That investigation was spurred by the
disappearance of a young girl whom DCF
was responsible for.
Now, a judge wants to know why the
agency cannot get treatment for mentally ill
jail inmates. That is a question that sheriffs
across Florida would probably liked
answered, too, as jail populations continue
to swell with homeless and the mentally ill.
Charlotte County Sheriff John Davenport
is overseeing a jail expansion that includes
up to 80 beds just for the mentally ill. In the
past year alone, Davenport said 344 inmates
were diagnosed with a mental disorder.
Things don't seem as bad in DeSoto
County, where Sheriff Vernon Keen said they
currently have one female juvenile with
some mental issues and probably have had
others who were not officially classified as

having mental problems.
According to the Associated Press, Pinellas
County Circuit Judge Crockett Farnell found
DCF in contempt in. October and ordered
fines. But Farnell went farther last month,
ordering DCF Secretary Lucy Hadi to appear
in court later this month to answer why she
shouldn't be held in contempt for failing to
abide by the law.
If Farnell finds Hadi in contempt of a
judge's order, she could face more than two
years in jail.
Public defenders have filed court motions
aimed at forcing DCF to treat inmates with
mental illnesses in Miami-Dade, Broward
and Hillsborough counties.
Hadi said the wave of mentally ill prison-
ers was like a "tsunami" that the department
couldn't have seen coming.
DCF spokesman AlZimmerman said DCF

will,ask lawmakers to move $5 million from
other agency services to pay for several new
beds at the state's three psychiatric hospitals
that treat felony defendants.
The state closed a fourth psychiatric hos-
pital G. Pierce Wood Memorial in Arcadia
- years ago despite predictions of this very
problem.
The number of mentally ill inmates wait-
ing longer than 15 days in local jails
increased from 7 percent to 72 percent of the
total number of commitments the past six
years, said Carlos Martinez, chief assistant
public defender in Miami.
We don't expect DCF Secretary Hadi. to
be jailed. But we hope the judge's actions
bring attention to continuing problems
with this important state agency that has
responsibility to help the state's most vul-
nerable citizens.

Should we or shouldn't we?
.. a d i, .: .**

BOB VEDDER
.i .- ,

The big question out there
right now is should we do a
revote on the Congressional
13 race officially won by Vern
Buchanan by 369 votes?
Many, especially Demo-
crtats and others w\ho voted,
for Christine Jennings, say
yes. Of course, the winner (so
far, anyway) says the race is
official and the experts
checked and certified the
results twice.
One thing is clear: The
machines did not work per-
fectly, at least in this race. The
design of the ballot certainly
was not good and on its own
caused people to skip the
race. Those, of course, appear
as undervotes.
Whywewouldhave one race
on two- pages is beyond me.
Shame on the election supervi-
sor. Heaven forbid, it isn't like
there isn't enough memory to
put each race on a page.
Incidentally, many of the
charter review board and
judge races had undervotes
as bad or worse than the race
in question.
Yet, there are a lot of con-
cerns about redoing the elec-
tion.
The "do over" in no way
would be similar to the origi-
nal that is, it wouldn't be
only the same people voting.
New people might vote for
all new reasons since the elec-
tion. Thousands would be in
town that weren't here at the
last election.
If only those who voted the
first time could vote this time.
conditions -still would not be
the same. People would be
going to the polls knowing the
outcome of all the national
races. They might well say,
since Democrats are going to
be in control, let's make sure
we send one up there.
Or there may be
Republicans who voted for
Christine but are mad that
there is a revote once a victor
had been certified and go
back to voting for Vern.
There likely would be a
much smaller turnout. Let's
say 20,000 people don't vote
who voted before they may
be gone or just fed up. Does
that not constitute an even
bigger "undervote" from the
number who originally voted
in this race? How can their
original votes not count.
While the equipment did
not work right, it is not clear
that a person could not, if
they found a mistake, get it
corrected.

The problem I heard time
and again was that some peo-
ple who voted in that race,
selected someone, but it did
not carry over to the summa-
ry page: We know this
because a lot of people have
testified they had to go back
and redo their vote to get it on
the summary page some-
times many times. Some even
needed a pole worker to make

it work.
Certainly one could say those
problems alone should be
enough to redo the race.
However, there are few cases, if
any, of people who could not get
their vote to count if they fol-
lowed the ballot and corrective
steps available to them.
'No doubt there are a lot of
people who, once they voted,
failed to look at the summary
page; they just saw a red light
and voted. They had the chance
to get their vote to count but did
not use care, either with follow-
ing the design or checking the
summary page. Sorry, that is
their fault.
How can we reverse a vote
when likely the biggest prob-
lem was people didn't check
the ballot closely, either skip-
ping over the race because of
the poor design or failing to
check, to make sure there
votes all registered?
No matter how many peo-
ple test this equipment, there
will never be answers to what
happened in every case, so
how will it ever be fair to have
a redo? No system can be
designed to correct careless-
ness.
There is only one instance
which I think would warrant a
revote, and that is if we found
the software was designed to
favor one candidate over anoth-
er. I have been surprised I
.haven't seen them looking at
that, which is really where the
emphasis ought to be.
I have not even mentioned
the huge number of people
.who did not want either can-
didate. Likely the number
would be bigger in Sarasota
County, since that is where
they are from.
The fact that Tramm
Hudson and Nancy Detert
were out of the running
affected some votes, mostly
in Sarasota County.
Of course, there is selfish
reason not to have another
election: I do not want even
one more phone call to my
"do not call" home, or one
more commercial about how
bad person each is, or some
sound bite about saving the
world when the person has
almost no impact on it and
only superficial information.
I asked Nancy Detert if she
thought there ought to be a
revote, and with her great
sense of humor (we missed
out not electing her) she said
she was in favor of a revote -
that is, if we would start at the
primary. *

Bumper sticker: Hell was
full, so I came back

P p o FROM s tiod

Park plan offers lots to do

EDITOR:
Is there really nothing to do in Paradise? Hardly. The activi-
ties that can be enjoyed year-round are too numerous to list.
No, the "nothing-to-do" lament can be translated (loosely)
into: "We can't do what we want to do because they won't let
us," which teenagers have been moaning probably since they
no longer had to work the farms.
Those of us charged with the responsibility of protecting
themuntil they are responsible are constantly trying to distract
them from their discontent unsuccessfully, alas, because
what they really want is freedom from us.
This was ironically illustrated when (in response to an unre-
lated matter brought up during the audience participation
portion of the council meeting) some of our best-known and
most successful community leaders (who seem to support
more development at Tramonto Vista Park) recalled fondly
their own teenage adventures in the sea grapes at Venice
Beach, to the amusement of those of us who heard and under-
stood.
No, no amount of "family friendly" amenities will mitigate
this necessary process for long. Teenagers just want to hang
out with their friends. Wherever.
As for the rest of the family. playgrounds and picnic pavil-
ions, a boardwalk to the beach, resrooms and parking what
more is needed to meet the standard of "family friendly"?
This is an opportunity and a challenge. Let's get it right: Less
IS more.
Judith and Anthony Fazzolare Sr.
Venice

Chappie James made
an impression

EDITOR:
After reading your tribute
to General Daniel "Chappie"
James Jr., the country's first
African-American four-star
general, in your Almanac sec-
tion, I couldn't resist recount-
ing my own personal experi-
ences with the remarkable
James family.
My first permanent assign-
ment in 1953 after complet-
ing flight training was to an
Air Defense Command F-94

fighter interceptor squadron
on the eastern seaboard. Our
alert duty schedule was 24/7,
requiring periods of long,
boring sequestered time
interrupted by an occasional
launch.
Being a newly commis-
sioned second lieutenant,
and low man on the prover-
bial "totem pole," my addi-
tional duty was to make sure
the flight shack snack bar &
grill was well supplied with
fast food (outsourcing was
unknown at that time).
After my initial introduc-

tion to my new squad-
ron commander, then-Maj.
James, I never entertained any
ideas of shirking my duties.
He was an imposing 6 feet, 4
inches in height, about 250
pounds, with a black .mus-
tache, fighter pilot swagger
and charisma to melt down
the boldest of "shave tail" sec-
ond lieutenants.
Many years later, in 1969, I
was sent to Vietnam and
eventually assumed com-
mand of eight small Air Force
detachments. When a new
lieutenant pilot was assigned
to my detachment, I swear I
started to have flashbacks.
He was 6 feet, 4 inches, was
African-American with a dis-
tinctive black mustache and his
name was Lt. Daniel James 1I.
The younger Daniel James
recently retired in Wash-
ington, D.C., as commander
of the Air National Guard, as a
three-star general.

Ralph L. Conner
Lieutenant Colonel
United States Air Force (Ret.)
Venice
Smoke-Out sneaked by
Editor:
Last week the Great
American Smoke-Out came
and went without any public-
ity.
It used to be good conver-
sation -people preparing for
the upcoming smoke-out. I
actually knew people who
really did stop smoking for 24
hours, and a few who contin-
ued to stay off cigarettes.
This year was different. I

did not see any advertising
anywhere. Consequently,
there was no discussion any-
where. I hope people have not
given up on the idea of: "Stop
Smoking, It's bad for your
health."
As a throat cancer survivor,
I wish I had stopped-smoking
sooner.

Charles W. Nelson
North Port

Walls can have
different purposes

EDITOR:
The BerlinWall was to keep
people in and the border wall
is to keep undesirables out. A
nation is only as strong as the
character of its people, I say.
Unity is strength, and I see no
unity.
Immigrants send $16 bil-
lion yes, billion back to
Mexico yearly, which is
its second-highest revenue
source.
Mexicans are taught from
the cradle that California,
New Mexico, Arizona and
Texas are their lands, and this
is one reason they flock across
our borders not bothering to
learn English. Of course they
are winning, since every
demand is to make life simple
for them: Spanish TV news-
papers, etc.
The Mexican government
encourages mass migration
simply not to have the
responsibility of the poor

Please see LETTERS, 9A

THE SQUEEZE IS ON

rr '

(^ST^Iss.s

IR1Z~~~1

.nor as we

/ V,6SEAA41,Db6

Cl INUfA lC~ Al AYWW~t(N.:$,ZflAI IFACAM VENICE GONDOLIER SUN 9A

Tough work, but

you gotta do it

. .

LET 'EMHAVE IT! ;..a.g '
jT ^ (.J.MI, ii ,I ' ,

Hard heads, but not that hard

STEPHEN BAUMANN
GUEST COLUMNIST

Hoo-boy, Monday was a
brutal day at work. Just brutal.
I got in a half-hour early,
anticipating the crunch.
First order of business: Log
on to the computer.
Bring up the files,
rearrange the desktop, trash
the old stories, check the e-
mails, jot down notes about
assignments.
Sharpen pencils. Three of
them today.
Take phone calls, rear-
range the top of the desk,
shuffle papers, then shift the
stack from left to right.
Flip through the list of
story ideas, restack. Check
calendar, take more phone
calls. All set.
Now, the serious work
begins.
Bring up the Internet.
Google. Yahoo.
First stop: Amazon.
Josh probably would like
some music. Genre: pop, folk,
country? Tough one here. Got
to admit I don't really know
what he likes, so I'll just do as
I normally do: Get him some-
thing I like. And I can always
copy the CD at home after
Christmas.
I call that a win-win situa-
tion.
A couple more phone calls,
one from the boss. Look
sharp, sound engaged. Snap
t!o it. '".. .. -... *
! Over to the book section.
Uncle Art's always interested
'in a good read. I think so,.at
least. I really have no id .a
what he does with all those
books I buy him every
Christmas. He has plenty of.
bookshelf space; another one
or two will help fill it. And if he
actually reads one, and likes
it, he'll ship it back to us later.
Again, win-win.

Lunch time. Better just eat
my leftovers at the desk today.
Too busy.
Speaking of which, maybe
it's time to visit Starbucks. I
love Starbucks. Everyone
loves Starbucks. And they're
everywhere.
Sounds like the perfect gift:
Starbucks gift certificates all
around. And they do great
music, too! Memo to self:
revisit the Josh Amazon
music-gifting idea.
Boy, would I love an
espresso machine. Could I get
one for Eli, then have him
leave it with me after
Christmas because he can't
drag it home? Sounds too
much like lose-win.
Another call from the boss.
What's with this guy? Doesn't
he have any work of his own?
Kristin's been talking about
a flat-screen TV And since
she's my wife, it's clearly
another win-win.
Best Buy, Sears, Circuit
City. This is tough on the fin-
gertips and eyes, but work is
work and that's why I make
the big bucks, etc.
LCD? Plasma? Summon
the brain power. Tough deci-
sions to make.
Time for an afternoon cof-
fee break. Wish somebody
brought some Starbucks.
There's an even-better local
coffee shop across the street,
but I really don't have time to
stray too far from my desk
today.
How about the parents and
grandchildren?
Gift certificates for all.
Restaurants-maybe Ap-
plebees or Olive Garden for
Mom and Dad. They like to go
out. And no Starbucks; they
don't go for that strong stuff.
I never know what to get
the grandkids, so gift cards
will do. Sto ,pff at iTunes.
Bac ; fill the cart
at Toys "R" Us. I love PayPal.
Late now. Re-order the
stack of papers on the desk. A
few notes in the date book. A
call to the main office, and I'm
out of here.
Man, I hate Black Monday.
But tomorrow's another day.

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Englewood
699 S. Indiana Avenue
Englewood, FL
941-474-3271

Venice North
700 US 41 N. Bypass
Venice, FL
941-488-6751

Venice South
4242 S. Tamiami Trail
Venice, FL
941-408-8797

0016 A.G. Edwards,& SonsInc. McberSII'C

No helmets. I picked up my
granddaughter at Venice
Elementary Friday and a gen-
tleman in his late 30s or so
pulled in in front of me on a
moped or scooter and went
through the line and picked
up a young girl who was
between 8 and 10 years old.
She got on the back. There's a
policeman standing on the
sidewalk in full uniform and a
teacher directing traffic, and
they rode right by them.
Neither one of them had a
helmet on. I thought it was a
law in Florida that if some-
body under 16 rode on any
kind of bike, they needed a
helmet. That's pretty bad on
school property. If the girl
would have hit the curb or
something, then they'd end
up suing the school.
To the outskirts. About
Grove Terrace: Why put it
downtown? Why put it near
Venice Avenue? Put it on the
outskirts. And to have to have
retention ponds? What's that
for? Waste treatment? It is
time Venice stopped building
golf courses and built a state-
of-the-art waste treatment
plant so you don't have to pol-
lute the gulf. I just saw the
television and this is the 100th
dead turtle on the southwest
coast, three of them today.
This is a shame. Quit dump-
ing your waste into the gulf.
How would you like to swim
in a septic tank and try to sur-
vive? Let's quit wasting
money on silly little things.
And all of you that were elect-
ed, let's do something about
preserving so we can have
something in the future.
What about issues? I think
a do-not-call registry for cam-
paign calls would be mar-
velous. We will never have any
type of civil discourse or polit-
ical life until the scumbags
who call up on the phone and
bad-mouth their opponents
find out that most of us do not
want to hear from them. In
my case, every time I got a
phone call, if there was a ring
and there was a dead sound
or a click, I knew it was a polit-
ical call, I just hung up. I want
to hear about the issues, not
slanderous allegations that I
have no way of knowing are
true or not.

No help. There should be a
do-not-call registry for cam-
paign calls and it should be
just the same as the regular
national do-not-call registry.
We got more calls this year
and it was not helpful at all. It
was very annoying and it was
totally getting out of hand.
Questions. The hasty $4.5
million purchase of the
Sarasota County's current
touch-screen voting mach-
ines raises many questions,
among which are: What kind
of sales pressure was there by
voting machine business
interests? Were these mach-
ines purchased through com-
petitive bids? If questionable
purchasing strategies were
used in the purchase of the
current machines, are we
going to be stampeded in the
same kind of panic buying
with the next generation of
machines?
Complaint. I and my
neighbors have made com-
plaints to the Gondolier Sun
concerning your paper deliv-
ery in the boxes. This gentle-
man comes between mid-
night and 3:30 a.m. His car
has no muffler, the radio is
blaring and you can hear him
2 miles down the road when
he's coming. I have requested
from the publisher to stop
this kind of behavior, but this
has been going on for months
and months and nothing has
been done. So I'm calling you
now.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Your com-
plaint has been passed on to our
circulation manager.
Missed it. Just wanted to
say I did have trouble voting
for the District 13 race. I went
through my whole voting
process. I'm familiar with the
voting process. I was pre-
pared ahead and got through
everything. Checked myn
summary at the end and
noticed that my vote hadn't
been recorded. Either I
skipped a page or missed it or
didn't see it. So I had to go
back to that page and vote. I
was voting Republican for
Buchanan, not that that
makes a difference, but any-
way, it didn't work for me
either. I did have to go back
and put that vote in.
Out of order. I'm appealing

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to the publisher, Bob Vedder
and the editor, Bob Mudge,
please, when it's so close to
Veteran's Day and we have
thousands of our young men
fighting for our country, I
open my package of the
Gondolier Sun this morning
and see "Police hoping for
leads in woman's death,"
while on page 15 there's quite
a nice article in color of our
veterans being honored. Why
in God's name wouldn't you
put these wonderful people
on the front page and the
police hoping for leads in
death somewhere in the
back? I'm so tired of nasty
comments and death all
around us. Please, let's honor
the veterans.
EDITOR'S NOTE: There was a
Veteran's Day photo immediately
below the story you mention, and
five more on Page 15.
Hands off. This is in refer-
,ence to the gun range in
Venice for the police depart-
ment. Leave it alone.
Unconnected. You are hav-
ing an opinion contest where
the grand prize is $500 cash
and three other nice prizes. I
do have an opinion of the
newspaper, but whether it
would win or not, I cannot
submit it. I don't have a com-
puter, and that is the only way
to enter. It is disgusting that
you are handling it this way.
Every person who pays for
and receives your paper
should be eligible. This just
adds one more to the list of

complaints that would be
included if I could enter my
opinion. Maybe it's best that it
is not possible. You don't want
to hear it anyway. You proba-
bly only want to hear from
those who spend thousands
of dollars every week on
advertising, leaving a very
limited amount of space for
news.. You could call it an
advertising paper instead of a
newspaper. I hope you allow
this to be printed.
No sense. I'm calling about
moving the Venice Police
Department gun,, range. I've
seen stupid things done in
this town before, but moving
a police gun range because
people who moved to that
neighborhood wouldn't make
any sense.

LET'EM HAVE IT
The Let'em Have It line
allows readers to sound off on
issues of local interest.
Opinions expressed here are
solely those of the callers.
Personal attacks on people;
attacks on or commercials for
businesses; political endorse-
ments during election season;
or opinions or comments oth-
erwise unfit for publication
will not be printed. If you
would like to participate, call
the line at 207-1111. Please
keep your comments brief;
they are subject to editing.
The line is available all hours.
Caller identification is not
required.

LETTER from page 8A

people and they are supplied with maps to assist them on their
trek. Mexican elite think it's the responsibility of the United
States to give them welfare, free medical services, housing and
more.
A child born here of illegal immigrants automatically
becomes a citizen, as are, the parents,makngiteasier for the,
rest of their lamrnilies to emer.., *
These people are costirig the United States billions in med-
ical bills and a lot of diseases are being brought over the border,
including ones we had once eradicated. Then there are the
gangs, with drugs, rape and murder being some of their sports.
Look at Europe it's in a mess with its immigration poli-
cies. Is this what you want for America?

Our commitment to excellence
is more than j claim or a promise.
Its reality is brought to life even
day in the dozens of. Wa s we touch
people's lives, at HarborCha-se
assistedd Living.
-- --(941) 484-8801--..

L rRBORCHASE,
of Venice
ASSISTED LIVING COMMUNITY

VA Assistance Welcomed ,-.

- -

!

VENICE GONDOLIER SUN 9A

ri jNnAy npc i- ?oo6 WWW.VENICEGONDOLIER.COM

I =-"r- Mzl= -wm

WWW.VENICEGONDOLIER.COM SUNDAY, DEC. 3, 2006

4 A i,,r-.i-- r, Mr ni ir-n E C I.

IHOA VEN'ILCE GONDOJ~LIER'SUIN

Mary D. Barton
Mary D. Barton of Venice
died Thursday, Nov. 30, 2006.
She was 88.
She was born April 14,
1918, in Newark, N.J., and
moved to the area in 1986
from Bradford Woods, Pa.
She attended Carnegie
Institute of Technology and
was retired from Shenango
Steel Co. She was a member
of Venice Presbyterian
Church.
Survivors include a
daughter, Judith B. Ebert of
Venice; a son, Jeffrey of
Richardson, Texas; two sis-
ters, Alwilda Jane
Christiansen of California
and Martha Brand of

Homosassa Springs, Fla.;
and two grandchildren..
Inurnment will be in
Venice Memorial Gardens.
Contributions: Memorial
donations may be made to
TideWell Hospice and Palliative
Care, 5955 Rand Blvd., Sarasota
34238.
Iris J. Cross
Iris J. Cross of Venice died
Monday, Nov. 27, 2006. She
was 87.
She was born Jan. 12, 1919,
in Tennyson, Ind., and had
been a winter resident of
Venice for 14 years from
Millbury, Mass. She was a
licensed practical nurse.
Survivors include two

sons, Finis Ray Jordan of
Venice and George of
Orlando; a daughter, Hilda
Dupras of North Grafton,
Mass.; two sisters, Marjorie
Dudney of Ashland City,
Tenn., and Lois Lankford of
Smithville, Tenn.; and four
grandchildren.
Services: Services will be pri-
vate for the family. Lemon Bay
Funeral Home is in charge of
arrangements.
Dorothy M. Fortuna
Dorothy M. Fortuna of
Venice died Thursday, Nov.
30, 2006. She was 87.
She was born Aug. 18,
1919, in Agawam, Mass.,
and moved to the area in

1965 from there. With her
husband, she owned and
operated Stella's Restaurant
in Agawam for 25 years.
Locally, she was employed
as a receptionist at Venice
City Hall, retiring after 11
years. She was part of a co-
worker group at city hall
dubbed the "Magnificent
Seven." She was a member
of Our Lady of Lourdes
Catholic Church and was
the church choir librarian.
Survivors include a daugh-
ter, Cheryle Worthen of Port
Charlotte; a sister, Alta Cass-
anelli of Venice; two grand-
children and one great-
grandchild.
Services: Visitation will be from

4 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3, at
Ewing Funeral Home. A Mass of
Christian Burial will be held at 1
p.m. Monday, Dec. 4, at Our
Lady of Lourdes Catholic
Church.
Contributions: Memorial dona-
tions may be made to TideWell
Hospice and Palliative Care, 5955
Rand Blvd., Sarasota 34238.
Willard H. Wilson
Willard H. Wilson of Venice
died Tuesday, Nov. 28,
2006. He was 88.
He was born March
23, 1918, in New
Brunswick, N.J. He was
retired from New Jersey Bell.
He was a member of the
Telephone Pioneers of

America and was a U.S. Air
Force veteran ofWorld War II.
Survivors include his
wife, Bridget; three daugh-
ters, Karen Chase of
Massachusetts, Judy Wilson
of Florida and Susan
McDermott of New Jersey;
four stepdaughters, Sandy
Seff of Maryland, Julie Haug
of California, Nancy Keenan
of Texas and Laurie Woody
of Florida; and three grand-
children.
Services: Services will be pri-
vate.
Contributions: Memorial dona-
tions may be made to American
Lung Association, 1436 Royal
Palm Square Blvd., Fort Myers,
FL 33919.

VPD arrests man with a gun

BY TOMMY MCINTYRE
STAFF WRITER

Anthony T. Dudley's
went from bad to worse a
he was arrested Tuesday.
Dudley, 19, 300 block B
Ave., Venice, waved a loa
.38 caliber handgun at
men. Then when he
arrested, he tried to smu
some dope into the South
(Venice).
Dudley was charged
aggravated assault wit]
deadly weapon, introduce
of contraband into a de
tion facility, and possession
a controlled substa
(hydrocodone).
At 4:11 p.m., Nov.
Venice police offli
answered a disturbance
about a man waving a
and threatening some pec
at. East Base Avenue
Davis Street.
Officers learned
Dudley was threatening

men as they argued over
money Dudley apparently
owed them.
day A half-dozen police officers
ifter were at the scene and made a
felony arrest.
Base Police found a fully-loaded
ded .38 caliber revolver under
two some nearby bushes.
got Dudley admitted having
ggle the gun, assaulting, the vic-
i Jail tims, then throwing the gun
away.
with During a jail search, offi-
h a cers found Dudley had two
tion hydrocbdone pills.
ten- Hydrocodone is a powerful
n of pain killer.
nce VPD Lt. Tom McNulty said
police had been over to see
28, Dudley and the two men the
cers previous day. McNulty said
call that at that point the argu-
gun ment over money Dudley
ople owed them had not escalated
and and was only verbal.
You can e-mail Tommy
that McIntyre at: tmcintyre@
two venicegondoliercom.

IS CREMATION FOR ME?
"The Thoughtful Planning Seminar"
Limited Seating to First 20 Callers

When: Friday, December 8, 2006 11:30 A.M.

Where: Stefanos Family Restaurant

401 S, Indiana Ave, Englewood

Subjects Covered
1) Questions about Cremation & Families
2) The Different Types of Remembrance
3) Social Security Death benefits
4) Veteran Death Benefits
5) What is Involved in Transporting a Loved
One North
6) Benefits of a living Will
7) The Importance of a "Power of Attorney"
8) How Does the Privacy Act (HIPA)
Affect You

An expanded Basic Rider
motorcycle class is being
offered at Manatee Commun-
ity College's Venice campus.
The popular class was
temporarily discontinued
while a $3.5 million parking
and landscape project was
under way. With an expanded
riding range, two nationally
certified Motorcycle Safety
Foundation rider coaches
and two aides can oversee the
activities of a total of 10 stu-
dents.
Students 16 years and
older may learn safe street-
riding skills through class-

Dudng the service, all
thase entrusted to
Viefice Memorial
G&dens and Farley
F eral Homes in 2006
wi I be recognized.
Music by Josh Price
Vocals by Josh Price
and Rosemary Carrico.
Volunteers are needed
to light candles
Saturday or clean up
Sunday.
Call Cyndi at
493-4246.

room instruction and on-
cycle training. After success-
fully completing the course,
riders will receive an MSF
endorsement, which may be
taken to the Florida
Department of Motor
Vehicles office to earn a
motorcycle license from the
state of Florida.
The class meets 6-9:30
p.m. on Thursdays; and 6:45
a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and
Sunday. The fee is $209 for
students age 21 and older and
$189 for students between 16
and 20.
For more information, call
MCC Venice at (941) 408-
1412.

Come See The Lights!
You are invited to our 14th annual
Candlelight Celebration
on Saturday, December 9, 2006
Drive Through 6 PM
Service 7 PM
Don't miss this moving experience of
scripture, lights and music.
The cemetery will be lit with 5000 +
luminary candles that produce a spectacle
you must see to believe!
This year's service will be led by Pastor
Gary Gray from Venice Assembly of God
Church.

This service is provided by The National Financial Newt Services. Figures are current as of November 30, 2006 and are subject to
change without notice. Call (610) 344-7380 ext. 111 if you are interested in participating in this survey. N/A service is not avail-
able. No Quote figures were not quoted this week.

S LOOK FOR THE

--" NEXT VENICE

CITY COUNCIL

AGENDA

IN THE VENICE

GONDOLIER ON SUNDAY

DECEMBER 10TH, 2006

If you \
place your
hands on your hips at exactly
the same spots on each side and
one hand is higher than the other,
you may have a tilted pelvis. This is
important to. note because the pelvis
and lower back are designed to work on
a level plane. When the pelvis is tilted,
unequal forces are exerted on ligaments,
tendons, and joints of the lower back that
can lead to muscular imbalance and pain.
One way the chiropractor checks for a
tilted pelvis is to measure the legs for
inequality. When one leg is longer than
the other, it is like walking with a shoe
on only one foot. Leg-length discrepancy
must be addressed as the underlying
problem.

P.S. If you are a man who regularly
carries a fat wallet in your back pocket,
you may be unknowingly contributing to
postural imbalance every time you sit
down.

DA
Dan Busch, DC

TWIN PALMS

CHIROPRACTIC
1214 Venice Ave. E., Suite C
412-3800

I The patient and any other person responsible for payment has a right to refuse to pay, cancel |
payment, or be reimbursed for payment for any other service, examination, or treatment that is
performed as a result of and within 72 hours of responding to the advertisement for the free,
discounted fee, or reduced fee service, examination, or treatment.

Eight games into the sea-
son, and the Venice High girls
varsity basketball team is still
looking for consistency.,
The Lady Indians'stayed
on the rollercoaster Friday
night, spiraling down to a 45-
33 loss at Southeast.
Venice fell to 4-4 overall
and 2-1 in Class 5A District
12. The Lady Seminoles
improved to 5-2 and 3-0.
Southeast was vulnerable
Friday night with center
Rassandra Simmons out fol-
lowing an automobile acci-
dent.
The Lady Seminoles had a
couple of other girls pick up
the slack.
Venice also helped by not
having one of its better
nights.
"We're not playing as a
team," said Venice second
year coach George "The
Animal" Stritz. "We haven't

found it. We're not executing
on both ends of the court.
Two girls will show up to play.
We need all five every night."
Venice's top plater -
Natalie Gaudreau had a
frustrating night. Not all of
her shots were falling and
she was the recipient of
some questionable calls.
Gaudreau fouled out late in
the game, finishing with 10
points.
It was Gaudreau who led a
late charge that got Venice
back in the game.
The Lady Indians looked
out of it, trailing 26-13 at half-
time.
Things stayed status quo
through the third quarter and
early in the fourth, but Venice
made a run.
Jamie Lane canned a 3-
pointer to draw Venice to
within 32-26. Ladaisha
Holloway followed with her
own trey to put Southeast
back up 35-26. Gaudreau
then scored back-to-back

George Stritz

buckets on drives. She found
Kaylee Ream all alone under-
neath for a layup that cut it to
35-32 with two minutes left.
But Venice would never get
any closer. Ill-timed turn-
overs and a couple of missed
shots took care of that.
Southeast, which shot an

awful 2-for-16 in the second
half after a hot first half, was
able to ice the game at the
free throw line.
Holloway canned a pair
of free throws, Bianca
Hanna sank four and Breana
Siplin two more in the final
1:35.
Southeast canned an
impressive 18-for-23 at the
charity stripe.
Venice only went nine
times and only made four.
Hanna was also a big rea-
son why Southeast was able
to record the W. The
Southeast guards were able to
lob the ball inside to Hanna,
who was able to get wide
open for layups. Hanna had
10 points in the first quarter
and then had eight more in
the second. She had 18 of
Southeast's 26 points at the
half.
Venice held her to zero
field goals in the second half.
Hanna finished with a
game-high 24 points. Guard

Holloway finished with 14
points and was 9-for-11 at the
free-throw line.
Ream led Venice with 11
points.
The Venice junior varsity
escaped Bradenton with a 49-
43 victory over Southeast.
Ann Ross's renegades are now
4-1. Dorothy Rahal scored 14
points and Kristen Jutras
added a dozen.

Be it on the radio, in the
bar, or at the game, sports talk
always seems to come back
around to dynasties.
How about the New York
Yankees in baseball? Or
maybe the Green Bay
Packers? Or the Boston
Celtics? Perhaps the Montreal
Canadians or Edmonton
Oilers?
In senior slo-pitch softball,
Venice 4 to' be-'corsidered
among the best in the land.
Backing that up are the
.numerous national champi-
onships recorded by teams
from the area. Also, Venice
squads always seem to be
tearing up in the monthly
Half Century State Tourn-
aments.
More living proof is in the
Travel League, which encom-
passes 60-plus star squads
from a tri-county area.
The league was formed in
1995. A few years later,
Venetians like Larry Monroe,
Lou Giovanini, Richard Marks
and Herman Zornes decided
to form a team of local boys
and see how they would stack
up against the best from
Sarasota, Bradenton and
Punta Gorda.
The rest is history. Can you
say dynasty?
"The Sarasota Sharks were
the best team around,",
recalled Monroe. "We beat
them the first year we were in
the league. This is our eighth
year in the league. We've won
seven times."
The team's record through
seven years is an incredible
210-17. The winning percent-
age is a scintillating .925.
At first, the Venice entry
was sponsored by Blue
Dolphin Car Wash. Then
Suncoast Orthopedic came
on board and the team still
flies under its banner.
"The worst record we ever

had was 27-3," said Monroe,
who is player/manager of the
current bunch. "Our roster is
by invitation only. There has
been very little turnover
through the years."
Each team plays a 30-game
schedule. Games are played
Wednesday at either the
Foxworthy Complex in
Venice, the 17th Street
Complex in Sarasota, the
Carmalita Complex in Punta
Gorda and G.T. Bray Park in
Bradenton. ,
The seas0n.-runs, from
November through March.
There are six teams in the
league for 2006-07.
This season's infield
includes Billy Brotherton at
first base, Sal Salorenzo at
second base, Dennis
Schroeder at shortstop,
Giovanini in the middle and
Hansel Faulkner at third base.
Jim Green, John Mello and
Fred Kopp are utility players.
The outfield has Bill Gray,
Dick Brown, Ron Anderson,
Mel Eubank, Marks and
Monroe.
Al Gates and Zornes are
pitchers. They can also catch.
This season's squad is in
first place with a 4-0 start.
This past Wednesday,
Orthopedic trounced the
Punta Gorda Hurricanes 18-
12 and 12-0 at Carmalita.
The wrecking trio of Gates
(5-for-6), Lou Giovanni (5-for-
6) and Mello (5-for-6) did
most of the offensive damage.
Gates pitched both games,
allowing only four hits in the
second game.
Monroe sparkled in right
field with two great catches
and an assist.
Orthopedic made only one
error, while turning over four
double plays.
The team travels to 17th
Street Park this coming
Wednesday morning at 8:45.
The opponent is Advanced
Sports Medicine.

SUN PHOTOS BY JEFF TAVARES, JTAVARES@VENICEGONDOLIER.COM
ABOVE: Lou Giovanini of Suncoast Orthopedic lines a single in last Wednesday's action.
BELOW:.Pitcher AlI ates cranks one in last Wednesday's SeniorTravel League game at the
Foxworthy Complex against the Punta Gorda Hurricanes.

Orthopedic shortstop Dennis Schroeder, right, gets the force
out at second on a Punta Gorda runner.

12A
SUNDAY
DEC. 3,2006

:'4.4r

':UI UI/i-~ rS r JI &flflt WIRN..............VNI.E.GODOLIER.UN...

SPORTS BRIEFS

School's Out Holiday
Volleyball Camp
There will be a three-day
. School's Out Holiday
Volleyball Camp from Dec.
18-20 at the Pine View School
is Osprey.
All ages and skill levels are
welcome to this camp com-
ing the first week of holiday
break. It is a perfect preface to
the upcoming middle school
and club seasons.
Instructors include current
Venice High assistant and
VMS head coach Gary
Halbert plus Pine View coach
Joe DiGiacomo. Other former
and current VHS stars will
also be on staff.
Camp will run from 9 a.m.-
1 p.m. each day. T-shirts,
awards and refreshments are
included in the camp price of
$99.
Call either 928-3433 or
232-5626 to reserve a spot.
Vikings seek coaches
The Venice Vikings Pop
Warner youth football and
cheerleading association is
now accepting coaches appli-
cations for the 2007 season.
Coaches are needed for all
levels from Tiny Mites up
through Midget divisions.
Those interested should
send a letter to the Vikings at
RO. Box 1702, Venice 34285.
For more information, call
716-1351 after 4 p.m.
Holiday Hoop Shoot
There will be a Holiday
Hoop Shoot for kids ages 8-18
on Dec. 16 at the Nokomis
Community Center. It will be
free of charge.
There will be three age
divisions for boys and girls -
8-10, 11-14 and 15-18. Prizes
will be awarded to the first
place winner of each group.
The contest will encom-
pass 15 shots from various
locations on the court.

The contest begins at 10
a.m. Pre-register by calling
486-2595.
Pizza and drinks will be
provided after the event is
over.

Hit with Velez
Former professional and
current Venice High hitting
coach Jose Velez has some
openings for individual
lessons this fall. Velez is a dis-
ciple of the Willie Montanez
style of hitting. Those who
want to learnVelez's expertise
can get in on his schedule by
calling 468-4385.

Python 13s tryouts
The Venice Pythons AAU
13-and-under spring baseball
team will be holding tryouts
Saturday, Dec. 9 and Dec. 16
starting at 9:30 a.m. and on
Friday, Dec. 15 beginning at
4:30 p.m. at the Wellfield
Complex. For more informa-
tion, call David Knott at 493-
5296 or 234-6092.
Python 14s tryouts
The Venice Pythons 14 and
under spring team will
be forming soon with try-
outs/practice beginning in
December. Players with an
above average game and atti-
tude, especially eighth gra-
ders, should inquire. We will
play an advanced game of
baseball and an ambitious
schedule to include state and
national tournaments. Con-
tact Jeff Rhodes at 941-539-
3767.
Holiday Baseball Clinic
The 20th annual Holiday
Baseball Clinic will be held
Dec. 27-28 in Venice.
There are two sessions,
one for younger kids and
another for older ones.
Session 1 is for kids ages 7-
12. They will meet from 9
a.m.-12:30 p.m. each day, at
Chuck Reiter. Session 2 is for

13-18 year olds. They will
meet 2-5:30 p.m. at Venice
High.
The cost is $60 per player.
The Holiday Baseball
Clinic is operated by Venice
native and and former Major
League player JackVoigt. He is
now a coach with the Mets.
Other local pro/amateur ball
players will help teach the
fundamentals of hitting,
defense and pitching.
Registration forms can be
found at Total Athlete in the
Village Shops and the Bank of
Venice of South Nokomis Ave.
Registrations must be
received by Dec. 14 to guaran-
tee a camp T-shirt. Late regis-
trations will still be accepted.
For more information, call
416-5100.
Final points night
Dec. 9 at speedway
The final points night of
the fall season for Charlotte
County Speedway's four
weekly divisions will be
Saturday, Dec. 9.
The closest race is in Super
Stocks, where 13-year-old
Codey Benoit has a 15 point
lead over veteran Brian
Richardson.
The next closest race is in
Road Warrior, where Donnie
Ollie Jr. leads Codey's father
- Dan Benoit by 75 points.
Richard Dupont has a 195
point lead in Thunder Trucks.
Ryan Collver has a 220-point
lead in Junkyard Dogs.
Open Wheel Modifieds will
also have their final points
race on Dec. 9. L.B. Skaggs is
leading Phil Morrison by 170
points.
Also on tap Dec. 9 will be a
Figure 8 Boat Race. Call the
speedway at 575-7223 for
more details.
The front gates open at 4
p.m. and racing begins at 7
p.m. Admission is $15 for
adults, $13 for senior citizens
and $5 for children ages 6-11.

r --------------------------- i
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b A Barber Plus Barbering with Style

COURTESY PHOTO
The Cincinnati Reds provided several volunteers and more than $20,000 in monetary resources
to a renovation project at Newtown Estates Park.

Reds give back to community

SPECIAL TO THE GONDOLIER SUN

The Cincinnati Reds, the
Reds Community Fund and
Sarasota County Parks and-
Recreation came through in
the clutch for the second
annual "Make a Difference"
weekend, held last month.
During the event, a com-
munity-wide voluntary week-
end of service, the Cincinnati
Reds provided several volun-
teers and over $20,000 in
monetary resources to a ren-
ovation project at Newtown
Estates Park.
The projects included
painting, landscape mainte-
nance and the renovation of
two Little League baseball
fields. Volunteers from Sara-
sota County Parks and

Recreation and the Cin-
cinnati Reds worked with res-
idents of the Newtown com-
munity to improve the neigh-
borhood and its recreation
facilities.
The Reds provided new
bases, new scoreboards, con-
crete pads for the batting
cages and lunch for all volun-
teers.
"It was a pleasure to play a
part in the Make a Difference
weekend," said Reds' director
of Florida operations Jeff
Maultsby. "We are elated to.
have been invited to partici-
pate in such a worthwhile
effort and to be in a position
to give back to this great com-
munity we call home."
The Newtown projects
were among the many that

took place throughout the
county. All weekend, groups
and individuals performed
community service projects
to make Sarasota County a
better place.
Community-'based pro-
jects took place in the cities
of Sarasota, Venice and
North Port, and in other
county locations. The events
were held in conjunction
with the National Make a
Difference Day, in partner-
ship with the Points of Light
Foundation.
For more information
on volunteering in Sarasota
County, contact the Sarasota
County Call Center at
861-5000 or e-mail Linda
Greaves at greaves@
scgov.net.

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You can leave your hat on.
It's doubtful singer-song-
writer Randy Newman had
Warm Mineral Springs in
mind when he penned that
tune, but it would be a good
theme song for North Port's
most famous attraction,
Warm Mineral Springs.
Since it first opened to the
public ifi the mid-1950s,
Warm Mineral Springs has
drawn a crowd largely of
Eastern European origins.
Soothing music is piped in all
day long. Visitors are led in
calisthenics classes in the
water. People come to spend
the whole day at the springs,
some for weeks on end, with
their zinc oxide, their plastic
nose protectors and their
hats. .- = --
The 80-yard diameter lake
is more than 230 feet deep
and is constantly fed by an
underground thermal plume..
Water enters the hourglass-
shaped body at around 97
degrees and -mixes with the

cold water from countless
other springs that feed Lae
lake.
For that reason, the water
is a near-constant 87 degrees
all year round, making it o.e
of only two hot springs in
Florida.
But its appeal is not just
that the water is warm: it is
also highly mineralized. High
levels of chloride, sodium,
sulfate and other minerals
bring it halfway between
freshwater and the ocean.
"It's part of the Europe n
tradition," said Ed Ullman,
whose company, Golden
Springs LLC, bought t ie
Warm Mineral Springs prop-
erty in 1999. "In Europe and
even Asian culture, they view
hot mineral spas like this as
naturally therapeutic, better
than drugs. The\ find it puri-
fyingi" ..
Balneology
The facilities are some-
what outdated. But the gift'
shop, the locker rooms and
the cafe take a back seat to
what many believe are the

"I have received testing
als flom many people,"
Elizabeth Nazarian, a Im
Port president who is or
the site's biggest fans.
Before moving here,
ran a travel agency
Chicago, booking trips
many Eastern Europear
North Port.
Her zeal is shared b}
Merkher, who first cam
Warm Mineral Springs
1992 suffering the endi
pain of six surgeries on
injured leg.
"Within two weeks, I

she
in
for
s'to
Jeff
e to
s in'

"I study balneology," he
said. "It's the study of the
healing nature of spas. It's
more popular in Europe than
it is here in the United States."
Merkher now .gives daily
talks at the site, giving visitors
information about the nature
and history of Warm Mineral
Springs.
Bone fireplace

ring The hourglass-shaped
an body is a sinkhole, a type
called a cenotee" by the
felt Mayan people in Mexico. A

cenote is formed in limestone
when an underground cavity
collapses, exposing it to sur-
face air.
The first to explore its under-
water reaches was William
Royal Not formally trained in
archaeology, he was something
of a cowboy, plunging into the
dark depths ofthe highlyminer-
alized waters without knowing
what he would find, and resur-
facing with a variety of ancient
treasures.
In 1959, he discovered a
10,000-year-old human skull,
still with brain tissue inside. It
seems the combination of
high mineral content and
lack of oxygen allowed for the
preservation o'organic mate-
rial for millennia.
But soon after being.
removed, the white tissue
turned gray and mushy, and
the skull was placed in
formaldehyde or storage.
Royal also discovered ani-
mal bones, including some
from a saber cat, as well as
mammoths' teeth. Many of
the human and animal
bones, stalactites and stalag-
mites he found there, Royal
incorporated into a huge
stone fireplace that was the
focal point in his home.
But Royal's methods were
not appreciated by trained
archaeologists For one thing,
he recorded almost nothing
about the context of his dis-
coveries: where and with
what other material the
bones were found, for exam-
ple.
'Grave goods'
In later years, Wilburn
"Sonny" Cockrell of Florida
State University brought
legitimate archaeological

methodology to the springs.
His most famous find was a
nearly complete human
skeleton tucked into a cav-
ernous ledge about 40 feet
below the surface.
The presence of stalactites
and stalagmites in this niche
confirmed that the cavern was
once above water. During the
last "ice age," sea level was some
100 to 300 feet lower than it is
now, because more water was
locked up in glaciers. It is likely,
said Cockrell, that the cenote
collapsed during that period
because the lower water level
left the roof of the cavity unsup-
ported.
This niche yielded a skele-
ton in fetal position, almost
certainly arranged that way
during an ancient burial ritu-
al. More important, associat-
ed with the skeleton was a
man-made object: the handle
from an "aflatl," a tool Paleo-
Indians used'to hurl .a spear
over long distances.
Finding the artifact with
the carefully arranged skele-
ton was significant, according
to on-site archaeologist Steve
Koski, because it enhances
the likelihood that this was,
indeed, an intentional
human burial with "grave
goods" possibly meant to
serve the deceased in the
afterlife.
The human remains date
back as much as 8,000 to
11,000 years ago. Sediments
in the bottom of the cenote
have been analyzed andshow
that this area was once much
drier and cooler. The pres-
ence of such finds as hickory
pollen indicates the area was
once surrounded by decidu-
ous forests typical of today's
more northern climates.

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The county commis-
sion will ask for state
permission to conduct
a pilot program. It will
also seat a blue ribbon
panel of residents to
consider all elections
options.

BY JACK GURNEY
PELICAN PRESS

A pilot program that could
allow all Sarasota County vot-
ers to fill out ballots at home
and mail them to elections
officials for counting will
receive consideration before
a final decision is made on
how best to replace more
than 1,600 paperless touch-
screen voting machines.
On Tuesday, the. county
commission agreed to ap-
point a blue-ribbon panel of
residents to consider the lim-
ited alternatives available
under both Florida law and
a Sarasota County Charter
amendment that mandates a
new system with paper ballot
receipts by 2008.
"Our supervisor of elec-
tions (Kathy Dent) has asked
for $3.5 million to buy new
machines, and we're just
making a final payment on
the existing ones this year,"
CountyAdministrator Jim Ley
said. "The state only certifies
one machine with a paper
trail."
At last count, 52 of Florida's
67 counties use optical scan-
ners to process hand-marked
ballots and record the votes.
The technology is relatively
simple and has been em-
ployed by Manatee County
elections officials for more
than a decade without seri-
ous problems.
But the prospect ofspend-
-ig- i rh ht' $3.5 million ito $4
million for new machines
may not be necessary if the
Florida Legislature agrees to,
allow a local pilot project
modeled on the mail-in vot-
ing system Oregon has suc-
cessfully used since 1998.
"There has been a lot of
press coverage about the
Oregon system," Commis-
sioner Joe Barbetta said, "and
I just spoke to a group of citi-
zens about it. This is an
incredible system in which 80
percent of the voters partici-
pate. I've written down all the
advantages."
Credibility
While there was no objec-

involve candidate races, he
explained, '"A county can use
mail ballot votes for a referen-
dum or other questions, but
not for candidates for office."
The county is obligated to
overhaul its election system
for the second time in six
years because 55 percent
of the voters recently sup-
ported a charter amendment
authored by the Sarasota
Alliance for Fair Elections, a
citizens group that petitioned
for the return of paper ballots.
After the disputed 2000
presidential election, the
county scrapped its punch
card equipment and pur-
chased 1,615 ES&S iVotronic
paperless touch-screen vot-
ing machines for $4.7 million,
which do not produce a
voter-verified ballot receipt
for recounts and audits.

tion to looking at the Oregon
system, Commissioner Shan-
non Staub said she had seen a
video about it that raised
security concerns.
"We would be at the mercy
of the post office," she said.
"The system is labor intensive
and the ballots go through a
lot of hands."
Commissioner Paul Mer-
cier, who spent two weeks on
a canvassing board when the
disputed Florida Congres-
sional District 13 race
between Vern Buchanan and
Christine Jennings raised
questions about paperless
touch-screen machines, had
different reservations.
"I'm still not convinced
there were any mechanical
glitches with the machines
we have, and we still have to
conduct (city of Sarasota)
elections on them next year,"
he said. "We don't want to
undermine the credibility of
elections that are coming up."
After a 30-minute discus-
sion, Commission Chair-
woman Nora Patterson asked
each commissioner to submit
the names of five people who
could objectively consider the
county's options. She agreed
to review them with Ley and
submit a list of finalists for
appointment to an advisory
panel.

Not allowed yet
In the interim, several
members of the county's leg-
islative delegation will be
approached to pursue a local
bill this spring that would
allow a pilot project based on
the Oregon mail-in system,
which was approved in 1996
and has been in effect since
1998.
"I realize there is a certain
amount of nostalgia in show-
ing up at the polls to vote,"
Barbetua said, "but I think we
sh*mlid" give h' Oleg6n' ys-
tem serious consideration.
This is about the integrity of
our voting process. We're
under attack and need our
credibility back."
Florida Division of Elec-
tions spokesman Sterling Ivey
confirmed what is currently
allowed.
"State law does not allow
for an election by mail," he
said. "It says voters will cast
their votes at polling places,
but allows mail voting for
absentee and overseas vot-
ers."
With respect to referen-
dums on such things as char-
ter amendments and special
taxing districts that do not

SUN PHOTO BY JEFE TAVARES, jtavares@venicegondolier.com
A few campaign signs still linger in the area, such as this one for successful judicial candi-
date Rochelle Curley. State law requires candidates to use their best efforts to remove
their signs within 30 days of the election.

VENICE GONDOLIER SUN 15A

. ri iNnAY r)rC 1 ?006 WWW.VENICEGONDOLIER.COM

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PHOTO COURTESY OF DIOCESE OF VENICE
Wednesday, Nov. 2, Bishop John J. Nevins, bishop of the Diocese of Venice, greeted Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter's Square, Vatican City. Inset photo courtesy of The Florida
Catholic, from left, Father George Ratzmann and Father Joel Scheivers of Epiphany Cathedral, Bishop John J. Nevins of the Diocese of Venice, Lester Schwartz, Rabbi Ann White and
Cantor Marci Vitkus lead the joint Seder.

BY BENNETT GROSS
RELIGION COLUMNIST

It was almost 10 years ago,
but I remember.
I remember the first Yom
Hashoah memorial service for
the victims of the Holocaust
my wife and I attended in
Epiphany Cathedral and how
it began in silence the
silence of prayer, the silence
born of a world that stood
silent in the face of evil.
I remember how moved we
were bythe young participants,
the children's choir singing in
Hebrew "Shalom Haverim"
(Peace, My Friends) and the
somber procession of students
from Cardinal Mooney and
other schools in the Diocese
lighting 13 candles in memory
of the 6 million Jews and 7 mil-
lion others who were victims of
Nazi oppression.
And I remember finally the
sense of bonding at the con-
.clusion of this "Hour of
Remembrance" when we
joined hands with our neigh-
bors, Jews and Christians,
under God's tent, and raised
our voices in a hymn that
touched our hearts and souls.
"Let there be peace on
earth, and let it begin with
me."

This moment of hope and
personal responsibility has.
continued to echo through-
out the sanctity of Epiphany
Cathedral due to the commit-
ment and tireless efforts of its
bishop, the Most Rev. John E.
Nevins, whose beliefs are so
poignantly reflected in this
excerpt from the first dioce-
san "Yom Hashoah, An Hour
of Remembrance," in 1991.
"The haunting but fright-
ened stare found in the eyes
of every Jewish victim of the
Holocaust looking intently on
us this evening, they beg us
never to forget what has hap-
pened to them; and then we
hear them urge us to love
God, trust in him always and
love one another."
What greater command-
ment has God given us than
to "love thy neighbor as you
would yourself," the essence
of both the Jewish and
Christian religions and a
deeply held doctrine of
Bishop Nevins, affirmed by
his being only one of nine of
the 165 bishops in the United
States to hold a Holocaust
remembrance prayer service.
A man of peace and good-
will who has furthered the
sanctity of human life and
upheld the dignity of every

person regardless of race or
religion, Nevins' actions place
him in the Jewish tradition as
"one of the Hasidei Ummot.
ha-Olem." In literal transla-
tion: "one of the righteous of
the nations of the world."
Throughout his life in the
ministry Nevins has engaged
in a dialogue with those he
calls "my brothers and sis-
ters," the result he says of his
upbringing. "My mother and
an aunt taught me to love all
my neighbors."
Soon after his installation
as bishop of the Diocese of
Venice he sought and found
ways to strengthen the ties
between the Catholic and
Jewish communities.
"I would encourage
Christian and Jewish people
to extend and accept invita-
tions to visit each other's
places of worship and pray
together," he said many
times.
At the holiest of times, at a
Christmas Eve Mass, I recall
the bishop's warm greeting,
"Shalom Alaichem, my
Jewish friends." And his
assurance that as descen-
dents of Abraham we are all
God's children.
To that end he established
the Bishop's Committee for

Catholic/Jewish Relations,
communal Passover Seders
with the Jewish Center of
Venice and made the study of
the Holocaust mandatory in
Catholic schools and religious
education programs.
"To remind our youth," he
said, "that it must never hap-
pen again and that the spiri-
tual bonds and historical
links bringing the church to
Judaism condemn all forms
of anti-Semitism.",
In his homilies Nevins has
continually urged his flock to
speak out when confronted
with anti-semitic bigotry,
supporting his rhetoric with
positive action when a local
ministerial group sought to
exclude those who did not
follow the teachings of Jesus
Christ.
Condemning their action
in the strongest of terms, he
directed the representatives
of the diocese to end their
involvement and join the
newly formed Venice Inter-
faith Association Community,
created to foster interfaith
respect and understanding
through dialogue and educa-
tion.
Two summers ago I partic-
ipated in a program pro-
duced for the U.S.

Conference of Catholic
Bishops and the National
Council of Synagogues called
"Walking God's Paths."
Consisting of a 10-week
series of dialogue-stimulating
videos, it brought together
representatives from Epiph-
any Cathedral and the Jewish
Center of Venice to share in
each faith's differences and
similarities, carrying away the
understanding of what it
means to each tradition to
walk God's path and find that
ultimately the paths converge
with the same message -
love God and serve one
another.
The program exceeded all
our expectations, laying the
foundation for dialogue else-
where between the two faiths.
Two years later some of the
original participants are still
meeting on a monthly basis
and establishing a dynamic
for what the late Pope John
Paul II envisioned.
"As Christians and Jews,
following the example of the
faith of Abraham, we are
called to be a blessing for the
world," he said. "This is the
common task awaiting us. It
is therefore necessary for us,
Christians and Jews, to be first
a blessing to one another."

Upon setting foot in
Venice, Nevins was welcomed
by leaders of the Jewish com-
munity, the first religious
leaders to do so. On Dec. 8 the
president and officers and
members of the Jewish
Center of Venice will bid him
a fond farewell with a special
Shabbat service.
All of us who have been
touched by Nevins will
remember his accomplish-
ments in our own way.
Joel Kreiss, past president
of the JCV and one of the
most earnest advocates of
"Walking God's Paths," offers
these widely felt sentiments:
"We, the Jewish communi-
ty of Venice, ask God's special
blessing for Bishop Nevins for
all the years of tireless effort
to make the world a better
place. A good shepherd of
your flock and a good friend
of ours, we can all rejoice in
your achievements in build-
ing loving bridges between
our faiths. We wish you,
Bishop Nevins, peace, joy,
good health and happiness as
you enter the next phase of
your wonderful life."
To this I can only add,
"Shalom Aleichem. Go in
peace as you walk God's
paths."

PHOTO COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES
A number of online merchants offer green-friendly items for the holidays from clothes,
bed-and-bath and organic baby products, to food, the latest books and "gifts that give
back" such as tree-planting kits and "fair trade" crafts that support economically disadvan-
taged communities in developing countries.

Park friends
The Friends of Oscar Scherer
State Park hold their annual
membership meeting at 6
p.m., Monday, Dec. 4, in the
Nature Center at the park,
1843 South Tamiami Trail,
Osprey. All are welcome to
bring a dish or dessert for this
potluck event.

Kayaking
The American Littoral Society
leads a kayak trip, 8:30-11:30
a.m., Wednesday, Dec. 6, on
the Myakka River State Park,
13207 State Road 72, Sarasota.
Equipment and training pro-

Suncoast Humane Society joined in the fun of the Venice
Holiday Parade with Paws on Parade on Nov. 25. Staff, volun-
teers and pet therapy dogs marched in time with the music.

HSSC joins 'Home 4 the Holidays'

STAFF REPORT season, we invite people to give themselves
and their loved ones the loving gift of a shelter
The Humane Society of Sarasota County pet."
(HSSC), which shelters nearly 4,000 aban- Adoption Manager Kerry Koppin said many
doned pets each of the shelter's pets
year, has "joined ,-.. ., .~, t have been waiting
paws" with Helen _... months or even years
Woodward Animal for a new home.
Center, The lams "Our staff and volun-
Company, and teers teach our shelter
more than 2,100 pet 'dogs basic obedience
adoption centers and socialize both our
nations l tle chfor a dogs and cats.yWe also
Hom'"I the Hoif- .'provide actiities and
days 2006, an event toys to make their
organized to raise lives with us as happy
awareness of the and stress-free as pos-
joys of owning shel- sible," Koppin said.
ter-adopted pets. "However, nothing is
Organizers hope to better for our pets
link more than than to go home for
350,000 dogs, cats, the holidays with a
puppies, kittens loving family."
and other compan- HSSC has planned
ion pets with loving, plenty of exciting
adoptive families Home 4 the Holidays'
this holiday season. activities, including
"Our holiday PHOTQ (OU' TEL, OF HSSC special holiday prices,
wish this year is a Mandy, spokesdog for the Humane Society of gifts, and unique
simple one -- to Sarasota County, is ready for the holiday season. events. All pets adopt-
find homes for all of ed during Home 4 the
the pets in our shel- Holidays will go home
ter," said HSSC Executive Director Deborah with a special starter kit containing tips for
Robbins Millman. "HSSC never closes its caring for their new family member.
doors to abandoned pets; that means, we truly HSSC asks everyone to stop by the shelter at
need the community's support to find homes 2331 15th St., Sarasota; call (941) 955-4131 or
for all of our cherished charges. This holiday visit hssc.org.

Pet peeves about pet owners

BY CYNTHIA BILLHARTZ GREGORIAN
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

Time was when cutesy
anecdotes and tales of disci-
plinary woe were the sole
domain of parents. Not any
more.
Some pet owners have
taken up talking about the
comings and goings of their
four-legged friends as though
they gave birth to them and
are gearing them toward a
high-powered career. Some
don't even like to be called pet
owners.
They prefer pet parents.
To parents of children, the
human variety, this can be
annoying. Many of us have
observed this firsthand. I did
one evening while dining
with friends.
Who doesn't get it?
When one began talking
about raising her teenage
son, another friend at the
table, who doesn't have chil-
dren, chimed in with an elab-
orate story about her dog's
mischievousness. The friend
with the son became visibly
irritated. "I'm sorry, but it's
insulting that you would

compare your dog to my
son," she said. "They're not
the same."'
A few years ago, Victor
Farwell and his wife decided
they had heard enough about
their friends' cat. Farwell ad-
mits they did their share of
talking about their son. But a
cat?
"They would talk about the
cute clothes they bought for
the cat, the new special treat
the cat was eating, the new
cat food bowl," says Farwell,
55, of St. Louis. "So we eased
off talking about our son and
moved on to other subjects.
But they didn't. They still
came back to the cat."
Different strokes
for different folks
Who knows why pet own-
ers have decided that Fido
and Fluffy are fodder for con-
versations about child-rear-
ing. Perhaps they don't realize
what they're implying. Or
maybe parents are mistaken-
ly inferring comparisons,
when none is intended. And
could it be that spinning long
cat yarns and detailed doggy
tales are a way to turn the
tables on parents who prattle

on about how precious or,
worse, precocious, their tod-
dlers are?
Julie Oermann, 33, admits
that sometimes when friends
and acquaintances talk to her
about their kids, she'll say,
"Oh, yeah, I know exactly
what you're talking about."
"And then I'll tell a story
that kind of equates my dogs
to their child. But it's not like I
actually think my dogs are
equal to their child," she says.
Oermann has cut back on
telling stories about Roxy and
Peaches, for fear of boring the
stuffing out of others like
some parents do.
"Because people do talk
about their kids a lot. You
know how 'Jimmy did this
and that,' and you're like, 'Oh,
how nice,' she says. "But I
realized I'd become one of
those people so I stopped.
Now I just talk to other dog
owners who are the same
level of crazy."
Big business
According to recent statis-
tics, finding such pet owners
isn't hard. Today, there are
more pet owners than ever,
and like Oermann, they're

spending more time, money
and energy on them. In the
past five years, the pet indus-
try has grown by 20 percent
and has more than doubled
from $17 billion in 1994 to
$38.5 billion last year. That's
more than we spend on
candy and toys. Further
underscoring the importance
of pets are wildly popular TV
shows such as "The Dog
Whisperer" and 'best-selling
books such as "Marley & Me."
'Emotionally connected'
Patricia McConnell, a cer-
tified applied animal behav-
iorist and professor at the
University of Wisconsin, has
written two books on bond-
ing with dogs. She was re-
cently quoted in a California
newspaper as saying she
believes the emotions of dogs
deserve a lot of attention, and
their strong bond with
humans is not trivial.
"We are emotionally con-
nected to dogs at our limbic
systems perhaps that's why
we love them so much," she
said in the Marin Inde-
pendent Journal. Beth Rup-
pel, owner of Wolfgang's Pet
Stop in the St. Louis area,
talks about her dog Wolfgang
as if he's her baby and credits
him with dramatically chang-

ing her life.
"I used to be a school
teacher, and now he's my
boss," she says, explaining
how she opened the pet shop
after she and her husband
found Wolfgang,. a mixed-
breed stray.
"I never thought I'd be
doing this, but he made all
the difference," she says. "He's
our family. We take him to all
our holidays and to family
and friend's houses. We never
leave him home or crated."
Some day, Ruppel says, she
might have a baby, but she
can't imagine that it would
change the way she feels
about Wolfgang. "I don't want
to be naive either," she says. "I
do understand the differ-
ences between a canine child
and human child. Relation-
ships with a dog can only
progress so far, where rela-
tionships between parents
and their children build and
deepen throughout life."
Bailey Sherry, 25, and Chris
Eversman, 32, of St. Louis
treat their 6-pound Maltese,
Molly, as though she were an
infant.
Baby talk
"Do you know what we did
this morning?" asked Sherry in
a baby-woo-woo voice. ."We

flipped her over and said,
'Good morning,' to every one
of her little body parts. We said,
'Good morning, little foot.
Good morning, little ear."'
And one night recently,
Eversman was cradling
Molly in his arms like a new-
born when he whispered he
was going to pass her off to
Sherry as gently as possible
so as not to awaken the
slumbering puff of white fur.
Sherry believes a little
doggy talk between parents
is probably OK, but she'd
never tell of Molly piddling
outside for the first time in
response to talk of potty-
training a toddler.
"That would be a little
weird because one is a dog
and the other is a person
with human growth poten-
tial who can contribute to
the economy," Sherry says.
Much like a parent,
Dennis Grousosky, 53, of St.
Louis alternately disciplines
and spoils his two
dachsunds, Buddy and Otto.
"They work for their dinner,
they have boundaries and
they don't have run of the
house," he says." But I
always say in my next life, I
wouldn't mind coming back
as Buddy or Otto, because
they do have a good life."

3B
SUNDAY
DEC. 3, 2006

Adopt Snookie today

PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. FRANCIS ANIMAL RESCUE
Snookie is a wonderful young female who was brought to the shelter with her litter of
kittens. The kittens have been adopted and now the loving mommy needs a good
home. Snookie has a delightful personality but definitely likes to be the cat "in charge."
She will love you for hours and enjoys playing. Can you give Snookie a good home? St.
Francis Animal Rescue is a nonprofit, no-kill facility, located at 1925 South Tamiami
Trail. Adoption hours are Monday through Thursday, 1-5 p.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m.-
5 p.m. Call 492-6200. Learn more about lovable, adoptable pets at stfrancisar.org.

WWW.VENICEGONDOLIER.COM SUNDAY, DEC. 3, 2006

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Santa Claus came to town

FRAN VALENCIC

Thanks to everyone associ-
ated with the Venice Holiday
Parade for a spectacular ,event.
The floats even brought us
snow. Bravo!
Keeping the gavel
Three cheers to Valerie
Cooper pwho agreed to be the
president of the Venice
Nokomis Republican Wo-
men's Club for a second term.
This organization recently
celebrated Nancy Detert at
their meeting. "For she's a
jolly good fellow" rang out as
the members thanked Nancy
for her work as district repre-
sentative.
Nancy turned the tables on
her friend and long-time
assistant Pam Nickell. She
called on Pam to give an

overview of their 8 years in
Tallahassee. "They were the
best years of my life," Pam
said.
In 1998 Nancy announced
her candidacy at the VNRC so
it was fitting to come before
the members near the end of
her term.
Holiday happenings
Add a little more ho, ho, ho
to your life and celebrate the
season downtown this Thurs-
day at the annual Christmas
Walk starting at 5:30. Santa
will be there.
Dress in your best Vic-
' corian dress and join Barbara'
Freeman and Venice Art
Center board members for
their annual tea at the Venice
Art Center on Dec. 6 and 8 at
3:30. Tickets are $25 for adults
and $15 for children 12 and
under. Call 485-7136.
Please help Louise Brun-
berg buy a bus for the stu-
dents in Nicaragua. On Dec. 8
from 6 to 10 p.m. enjoy a buf-
fet dinner, Latin dancing and
a silent auction to benefit the'
cause. Tickets for the Venice
Community Center event are
$20. Call 486-4249.
Santa Claus and his elves
cordially invite parents and
children for a free continental

breakfast at the Venice YMCA
on Dec. 9. Rick Tacy and the
Sertoma Club ofVenice mem-
bers plan to serve from 8-11
a.m.
You'got to laugh a little
Joey Brunmmett and Peggi
Conlon-Paquette want to
tickle your funny bones at the
Honoluana Island Grill and
Tiki Bar located at Venice
Airport this Thursday. Tickets
are $20 for dinner, drink and a
show. Call 483-3553 for reser-
vations.
A historic day
Socialite Ann Worthington
and her husband, Ned, the
first mayor of Venice, will be
joining guests at the Venice
Historic Society fashion show
at the Plantation Golf and
Country Club on Dec. 8 at

11:30. These 2 historic figures
will be represented by this
columnist and Bob Briner.
Bruno Mollica. provides
music for the event with fash-
ions by La Casa Del Quetzel.
Call 484-0769 or 412-0151 for
tickets.
Pat on the back
. Three cheers to Rory
Dubin recently appointed by
Governor Jeb Bush to serve
on the southwest regional
planning council. Rory is the
ultimate Renaissance man.
He is a commercial real estate
agent with Waterford Com-
panies. Rory is an accom-
plished pianist and works
with the Boy Scouts.
In addition to all this, Rory
serves the community with
his work with the Sertoma
Club of Venice.

Read Fran Valencic every Wednesday and Sunday.

CO -LXv-E- EC-T- IBA-LE --

10.%O.ifSnyJurcasew/his Ad

I-

Bicycles International
Your one stop shop for cyclist needs
Cefebrates 20 'Years of

STAFF REPORT
Edward Jones investment
representative Rebecca
Hundey \ill support the U.S.
Marines Tdys for Tots pro-
gram by opening her 810
Pinebrook Road, Suite A,
office as a drop-off location
for this year's drive.
Local residents may help
needy children in the area by
bringing in a new, unwrapped
toy to the office during regu-

lar business hours, beginning
Nov. 20,
"With the holiday season
!around the. corner, we are all
getting ready for the festii-
ties," Huntley said. '"And as
this is the season of giving,
now is a great time to remem-
ber the less fortunate in our
community."
To learn more, contact
Huntley at 484-3983.
Source: EdwardJones

Q: I have been chronically
depressed for many years. I cur-
rently take Paxil, Buspar and
Desyrel (trazodone), but I still
have problems and wonder if.
the medication is working as
well as it used to. It just doesn't
seem like it because they keep
increasing the dosages. Do I
have any alternatives to these
medications? B.C., Steger, III.
A: For those of you who are
maintained on prescription
antidepressants and doing
well, consider yourself fortu-
nate. You are free to skip this
article. But many people take
multiple antidepressants and

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By Vicki Connell,
M.A., CCC-A |
Certified Audiologist s
Q. My boyfriend just
purchased new hearing aids
which fit entirely in his ear
canals and are not visible.
However, when we meet with
friends, his hearing aid
makes a loud whistling
sound whenever he is greeted
with a hug! What good are
invisible hearing aids, if they
make so much noise when
something (or someone)
comes near his ear?
A. I know exactly what you
mean. I can't tell you how
many times I've been in a
meeting which has to stop
momentarily when someone's
hearing aid begins to whistle.
Many times the person who is
wearing the aid doesn't even
hear it whistle and is
embarrassed when the other
mention it! Finally, someone
has solved this problem with
technology call "Active
Freedback Intercept" which
"learns the patient's unique
feedback paths, then remains
constantly on alert, sweeping
the soundscape and working to
eliminate any buzzing,
whistling or humming. If your
boyfriend's hearing aids are
not equipped with Active
Freedback Intercept, the only
way to reduce the occurrence
of whistling is by turning the
power, or volume down in his
instruments. While this reduces
the loudness of the whistle, it
also reduces the volume, for
speech and may compromise
his ability to hear clearly. Call
the Audiologists at Woodmere
Hearing & Balance Centers,
Inc. at 492-4327 to learn
more about ways to eliminate
annoying whistles from your
hearing aids.
Jacaranda Office Park
4120 Woodmere Park Blvd.
Suite 8asA
(across from Jacaranda
Public Library)

still find themselves feeling
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. Depression takes its toll on
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For some people, switch-
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people who don't respond to
an SSRI drug like Prozac,
Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, Lexapro
or their generics. If you have
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antidepressant altogether.

Heritage
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"Before I started my
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This will work for some peo-
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in some cases even the bipo-
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I don't like to see a person'
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tremors, headaches, vomit-
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So what to do? Rather
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replenish what may be defi-
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Furthermore, you're deal-
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Bearing that caution in mind,
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Consider EPA/DHA fish oils
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HTP St. John's wort is very
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There are so many ways to
help yourself. My point is to
research as much as you can
so you can talk to your doc-
tor about normalizing brain
chemicals rather than layer-
ing drug upon drug because
you're not getting the results
you desire.
Did you know? Cayenne
pepper can be added to any
herbal tea to boost your cir-
culation and warm the body.
This is particularly helpful
'for people with Reynaud's
disease.
This information is not
intended to treat, cure or
diagnose your condition.
Suzy Cohen is a registered
pharmacist. To contact her,
visit dearpharmacist.com.

WELL-BEIN6
BRIEFS
Hard of hearing group
The Hard of Hearing Support
Group meets at 9 a.m.,
Monday, Dec. 4, at the Venice
office of the Community
Center for the Deaf and Hard
of Hearing of Manatee/
Sarasota, 628 Cypress Ave.
Blair Post, who is board certi-
fied in hearing instrument
sciences, will be facilitator. E-
mail sharris@ccdhh.org- for
more information.
Beach yoga
Join Nelda Barba at Cas-
persen Beach for beach yoga
at 8:45 a.m. Wednesday and
Friday. No yoga mat needed,
just a towel. Call the Wellness
Department at the South
County Family YMCA at 492-
9622.
Recycle this newspaper.

While writing this
I'm also doing laune
went in just now to er
dryer, I was remifide
doing laundry was lil
as a child, I helped
the wash.
Then, when. one d
dry, that was all one d
usually took a full d
for our small family

The day began about 8 a.m.
and often lasted till mid-after-
noon.
I would go "down the base-
ment," pull the double, yellow
rinse tubs away from the wall,
drag the big, old washing
machine with its motor hang-
ing from the. bottom and its
wringer flopping around on
top over next to the tubs and
start filling all three.
The washer was filled
with water as hot as one
could get it; so hot that
Mother often used a wood-
colum As en paddle to fish the clothes
rnpty the out to feed them through
Sof what the wringer.
dofwhnat The first rinse tub was
ke when, filled with warm water, and
Miom do the second with cool water.

did laun- Soap and bluing were added
id and it to the washer and, if Mom
id and en was doing a load of whites,
day, even there would be bleach from a
of three. big brown jug.

Alzheimer's support
* An Alzheimer's Support
Group meets the third
Wednesday of the month
(Dec. 20) at 2 p.m. at River

Oaks, 925 South River Road,
Englewood. Call 474-8600.
* An Alzheimer's Support
Group meets the third
Thursday of the month
(Dec. 21) at 10 a.m. at
Pinebrook Rehabilitation
and Nursing Center, 1240
Pinebrook Road in Venice.
Call 488-6733.

Aging and Mobility forum
Learn about The In-
dependent Transportation
Network model and the role
of public policy in removing
barriers hindering volunteer

The clothes were carefully
sorted on the basement floor.
Whites were ALWAYS done
first.
After the clothes had agi-
tated for about 20 minutes,
they were fed through the
wringer. (More than one
woman has been seriously
injured when her hand was
caught in the wringer while
feeding some clothes be-
tween the rollers.)
The wash then fell into the
first yellow tub to be rinsed by
hand; then again through the
wringer into the second tub
for a final rinse; and back
through the wringer into the
laundry basket.
When the basket was full
- "full" meaning as many
wet clothes as one could carry
up the basement steps and
into the back yard that's
exactly what happened: up
the steps and out into the

drivers. This AARP forum is
geared toward folks interest-
ed in senior mobility issues,
including community lead-
ers, land use and transporta-
tion planners, elected offi-
cials, foundations and non-
profit service providers. The
forum will be in Orlando on
Tuesday, Dec. 12, and the
cost is $55. SCOPE is assess-
ing the interest of communi-
ty members who would like
to carpool that day. Contact
Suzanne Gregory or Joe
Naroditsky at 365-8751 if
you are interested. For more

yard.
Our "dryer" was a series of
clotheslines strung between
the house and garage. Each
piece of laundry was carefully
hung to dry.
How long they hung
depended on the weather, how
the wringer worked, or how
heavy the material. They hung
till they were dry unless, of
course, it rained. But that's
another story.
No, Mother did not do the
washing between doing other
things.
Would I trade my washer
and dryer for her old washer,
those steps and her clothes-
lines? Never. But neither will I
ever forget the time we spent
together in that laundry
room. Yes, in many ways
those truly were the good old
days.
And that's my two cents
worth.

County volunteer, amateur
botanist and Florida Native
Plant Society member Denny
Girard will lead the walk.
Limited to 25; call 861-5000.
* Walk the Caspersen Beach
area with The Manatee-
Sarasota Sierra Club, 8 a.m.,
Saturday, Dec. 16. Limited to
15 participants for this 4-mile
walk. Bring water and a
snack. RSVP to Sally at 484-
4113.
Audubon meeting
The Venice Area Audubon
Club meets Tuesday, Dec. 12,

at the Venice Community
Center, 326 S. Nokomis Ave.
Dr. Jerome A. Jackson, profes-
sor of biology at Florida Gulf
Coast University, presents
Endangered Birds, Endan-
gered Forests. All are welcome
to this free meeting. Social at
6:30 p.m., program at 7 p.m.
To learn more, visit
veniceaudubon.org or call
(941) 496-8984.
Sierra Club party
The Manatee-Sarasota
Sierra Club hosts its annual
holiday party at 6:30 p.m.,

Thursday, Dec. 14, at the
Edson Keith Mansion at
Phillippi Estate Park, 5500
South Tamiami Trail,
Sarasota. Bring potluck for
eight. Come early to deco-
rate at 5:30 p.m. Call (941)
792-3270.
Manatees
Florida Fish and Wildlife is
attempting to track the loca-
tion of dead manatees in the'
area, particularly during red
tide. If you see a dead mana-
tee in area waters, call (888)
404-3922.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MIKE AND DEBBIE GIPPERT
The Sarasota County Rails to Trails project will follow the former CSX line from a mile south of
Clark Road south to the Venice Historic Train Depot.

STAFF REPORT

Tuesday, Dec. 5, at 6 p.m. at the Twin Lakes
Park, Sarasota County Parks and Recreation
Office, a meeting will be held of citizens
interested in forming a Chapter of Friends of
Sarasota County Parks for the Venice to
Sarasota Rails-to-Trails. The main topic at the
meeting will be organization of the chapter,
including purpose, by-laws, committees and
election of officers. A chapter (a nonprofit
organization) will support and promote the
Rails-to-Trails, recruit volunteers to work on
projects for the Community on the Trail, raise

funds for enhancement projects along the
trail, advocate and vrork toward protection
and enhancement ot the trail corridor, and
cooperate with the .County in establishing
and operating a volunteer community watch,
bike patrol for the Trail. Education about the
trail and amenities along the trail as well as
information to enhance user enjoyment and
safety would also be areas of service by the
Chapter.
Come out and get in on the ground floor of
this Rails-to-Trails Chapter. Call 485-4921 for
more and for information regarding Friends
Chapters see, foscp.org/new/?page_id=7.

By LIUSA CORNWELL
Guest Writer
Financial barons and
wealthy socialites once trav-
eled the country on luxuri-
ous private railroad cars, din-
ing on fine china and crystal
and pampered by stewards.
Today's travelers can recap-
ture that romantic era with
journeys on some of the
same cars.
A relatively small number
of train devotees have pur-
chased and refurbished the
private rail cars familiar in
the first half of the 20th cen-
tury the golden age of pas-
senger rail travel.
Passengers can sip cock-
tails and nibble on hors
d'oeuvres while sinking into
deep leather sofas in lounges
paneled in rich mahogany
and be lulled to sleep at
night by the rhythm of train
wheels rolling down the rails.
"I wasn't a train buff, but I
am now," said Donna
Cothron, who took a trip
with her husband on the
Cincinnati-based Oliver
Hazard Perry sleeper-lounge.
"I could travel like this forev-
er. It's so relaxing."
The Cothrons' car was
part of a train that went to
Chicago for shopping and
sightseeing, then through
picturesque Michigan towns
such as Petoskey on the
banks of Lake Michigan and
Boyne Falls, where the train
pulled into a Polish Festival.
"Everyone was so excited
in all the small cities we
stopped in, and some
brought their kids to see the
train," Cothron added. "You
felt like you were riding with
ithe president." . '
' While the Cothrbns' car
was chartered for iheir use
only, the private-car train
also included the Vista Dome
sleeper-lounge topped with a
glass dome providing a 360-
degree %iew and the Birch
Grove sleeper that accom-
modates 22 people.
'The private sirigle cars
and multi-car trains normal-
ly travel Amtrak routes,
hooked onto the back of
Amtrak passenger trains as
they wind through the Sierra

Mountains or the Great
Plains or into bustling metro-
politan areas such as
Chicago, NewYork and
Washington.
Sometimes they go off
Amtrak lines, hiring a freight
engine to pull the cars along
short-line railroads that are
less traveled and offer a more
leisurely pace and the oppor-
tunity to stop in small towns.
The Cothrons leased a car
with three bedrooms, two
showers, kitchen, dining
room and lounge solely for
themselves and were served
by a chef-concierge.
"It's like riding in a mil-
lion-dollar motor home on
rails," 'said Edwin Cothron, a
real estate developer, as he
relaxed in the car with a glass
'of wine as the 1940s song
"Long Ago and Far Away"
played softly in the back-
ground.
There are 130-140 private
rail cars for charter certified
for Amtrak routes in nearly
every section of the country,
and some for Canada and
Mexico, according to Diane
Elliott, executive director of
the American Association of
Private Railroad Car.
Businesses, organizations,
families and groups of
friends lease the cars to go to
reunions; celebrate birthdays
or anniversaries and attend
sports events like the
Kentucky Derby or the Super
Bowl.
Interior design varies from
the brass trim and wood
paneling of luxurious busi-
ness cars to the high-gloss
enamel and stainless steel of
the Art Deco style popular in
the 1940s and 1950s.
Brian Collins, ,owner and
president of the Cincinnati
Railway Co., said most of the
50 or so owners around the
country who provide charter
service charge by the car. He
also makes trips available per
individual.
A four-day trip to
Washington might cost
$1,000 per person, including
the accommodations on the
train, food and drinks.
Off the train, passengers
pay for their own meals and

UN PHOTO BY KIM COOL
Staying in a Pullman cabin aboard a Grand-Luxe train is as
close as most people can get to traveling in a private rail car.
This sleeper car, circa 1950s era, was used for the train
company's Ante Bellum South tour held earlier this year.
Occasionally, Grand Luxe leases private cars to be used as
club cars for its passengers, providing its passengers with a
look at how such cars can be customized.

activities.
"The cost can be compa-
rable to a high-end ocean
cruise," Collins said.
Lifelong rail fan Ted
Hunon, 59, of Cincinnati,'
said he paid about $200 a :
day for the recent eight-day
trip from Cincinnati to
Michigan.
"Part of the appeal to me
is the nostalgia, but it's also
more comfortable and con-
venient than Amtrak,"
Hutton said. "I can park my
car, get on and off when I
want and have all the ameni-
ties."
Collins, who took his first
private rail car trip in 1996,

eventually bought the Birch
Grove, a 1950 sleeper car that
served on the Southern,
Pacific's "Sunset Limited"'
between Los Angeles and
New Orleans.
i l"I decided that if I bought
a sleeper, I could partner
with owners of lounge and
dining cars for trips," said
Collins, who handles the
complex scheduling involved
in switching back and forth
between railways and
arranging destinations.
His sleeper car has 10
private one-bedroom
roomettes with pull-down
sinks and beds and six dou-
ble bedrooms. Each sleeping

room has a sink and toilet,
and there is a shower
onboard.
Roger Verbeeren Jr., owner
and president of the subur-
ban Chicago-based,
American Rail Excursions
Inc., also puts cars together
from a fleet of sleepers,
lounges, coaches and busi-
ness cars based just outside
St. Louis, where most of the
company's trips begin.
His Silver Quail sleeper
features 11 bedrooms that
have either a short sofa,
lounge chair and fold-down
table or a long sofa and fold-
down table.
At night, an upper bed
stowed against the ceiling or
wall is pulled down and the
sofas convert into lower
beds.
The Silver Quail and the
Royal Street, a sleeper-lounge
observation' car, hooked up
with the Cincinnati Railway
on the recent trip to
Michigan.
"I loved to just relax on my
lower berth and watch the
countryside passing by," said
passenger Jan Caudell, a
middle school teacher from
Squth Bend, Ind., who had
never ridden on a private car.
It was the fifth trip for Ron
Arturi, of Willow Springs, ill.
He said the service was simi-
lar to an ocean cruise, but
with a more intimate atmos-
phere.
"It's more of 4 casual ele-
gance," he said.
"There weren't chocolates
on the pillow, but stewards
were there to serve you and
turn your bed down at
night," Caudell said.
p RoyvWullich, owner and
president of the Santa Clara,
Calif.-based Rail Journeys -.
West, has leased his 1948
Silver Solarium dome'obser-
vation car to film companies.
He said singer Barry Manilow
once chartered four cars for
himself, his family and
friends.
Wullich said his typical
per-car charge might be
$5,000-$8,000, but there are
ways to defray costs.
"One group of ladies from
the Denver area got together

to charter a car one way to a j
cooking school they were
attending in the Napa Valley,
and then flew back," he said.
Trip length and destina-
tion also factor into afford-
ability.
"People can still get a high
level of service without being
an oil baron or millionaire,"
saidVerbeeren, who offers
extended weekend trips such
as St. Louis to Chicago for
around $650 a person.
JimWrinn, editor of Trains
magazine, said that traveling
on private rail cars of the
kind that carried business
magnates such as J.P Morgan
and E.E Hutton certainly isn't
inexpensive, but there is a
strong nostalgic appeal.
."You get travel, history,
romance and intrigue all
in one," he said.
If You Go...
CINCINNATI RAILWAY
CO.: cincinnatirailway.com
or (513) 791-7245, based in'
Cincinnati.
AMERICAN RAIL EXCUR-
SIONS INC.:
americanrail.com or (708)
758-6680, company based in
Sauk Village, Ill.; trains based
in Madison, Ill., just across
the river from St. Louis.
RAIL JOURNEYS WEST
INC.: railjourneyswestcom
or (408) 241-7807; based in
Santa Clara, Calif.
AMERICAN ASSOCIA-
TION OF PRIVATE RAIL-
ROAD CAR OWNERS:
aaprco.com or (202) 547-
5696. Provides information
on private cars available for
charter, chartering process,
destinations., ,
COST: Prices range from
under $1,000 per person for a
long weekend, to more than
$8.000 per car, depending on
length of route, number of
days, number of passengers,
amenities, and other features.
PRACTICAL TIPS: Pack
light, not more than one or
two bags, preferably soft-
sided for easier storage. Ex-
pect when paying flat fee or
individual price to put down
deposit with final payment
required before trip.

U.S. ski resorts using more 'green' power with the white

BY ROBERT WELLER
GUEST WRITER

Visitors to many ski areas
'this winter will find cleaner
air and better views of
mountain landscapes.
Not only are ski resorts
pushing legislation in
Washington to combat glob-
al warming, at least 45
resorts in 14 states from
coast-to-coast are using
clean energy for some of
their operations.
Sixteen are getting 100
percent of their power from
green energy sources includ-
ing wind, hydroelectric,
solar, bio-mass and geother-
mal.
"I think we're a platform
industry. We have a bully
pulpit to operate from. When
you think of global warming
the first thing you think of is
snowfall and wintertime and
how that changes," said
Michael Berry, president of
the National Ski Areas
Association.
Bearing it
Bear Mountain and Snow
Summit will spend $6 million
on emission controls, said
Bob Roberts, executive direc-
tor of the California Ski
Industry Association.
Aspen will focus on global
warming in three upcoming
ads in outdoor magazines.
"We did talk internally before
doing this. We knew it was
risky but we want skiing to
be around for 100 years,".
said Jeanne Mackowski,
Aspen's director of market-
ing.
'The industry is trying to
show individuals that they

can make a difference, said
Berry.
Colorado, which set a
record for skier visits last year
with 12.53 million skier days,
will offer two new gondolas
this year.
Breckenridge, the nation's
second-busiest ski resort, has
built a gondola connecting
the town's transportation
center off Main Street to Peak
7 and Peak 8. The eight-pas-
senger facility, which can
carry 3,000 passengers per
hour, means fewer people
riding buses to the moun-
tain. The resort also has
added the highest lift in the
nation, the high-speed
Imperial Express, which goes
to 12,840 feet on the summit
of Peak 8.
"It has already raised our
profile. The thing the gondo-
la does is connect a great his-
toric mining town with one
of the great ski areas of the
world. You don't get too build
too many of them in your
career. The Imperial Express
on the top and the gondola
on the bottom are two great
bookends," said Roger

McCarthy, Breckenridge
CEO.
Snowmass
Aspen's Snowmass has-
installed a new gondola to
carry snowriders from Fanny
Hill to Elk Camp. In addition,
the company is replacing the
cabins on the Aspen
Mountain Silver Queen'
Gondola with roomier ones
with 360-degree views.
Rustic Wolf Creek is
adding its first detachable
quad- a four-seat chairlift
- and remote Silverton
Mountain will be open all
year for unguided skiing. It
had been restricted to guid-
ing skiing until last spring.
Whistler-Blackcomb in
British Columbia has
installed a high-speed lift to

carry riders to the Symphony
Amphitheater, 1,000 acres
with spectacular high-alpine
views. The resort also has
purchased Whistler Heli-
Skiing, which services over
half a million acres of terrain.
Utah
Utah, which set a record
for the third straight year
with slightly more than 4
million skier days, has added
several high-speed lifts.
The Canyons near Park
City will grow to 3,700 acres
with the addition of 200
acres of mostly intermediate
to expert terrain that will be
served by the DreamCatcher
high-speed quad. The resort
also is replacing the four-seat
Tombstone Express high-
speed with a six-pack that

will increase uphill capacity
52 percent and reduce con-
gestion.
Snowbird is opening a ski
tunnel, the first of its kind in
Nprth America.
The tunnel's conveyor lift,
at the top of the new high-
speed Peruvian Express, will
transport snowriders from
Peruvian Gulch into Mineral
Basin.'
Deer Valley is replacing
the Sterling triple-chair on
Bald Mountain with a high-
speed quad. Fourteen new
snowguns will allow Park

City to open more terrain in
the early season. Powder
Mountain is replacing its
Hidden Lake double chair
with a high-speed quad.
Jackson Hole, in Wyoming,
retired its legendary tram in
October after 40 years. A $25
million tram will be built to
replace it, opening in 2008.
In the meantime, a tempo-
rary two-seater chair will
ferry snowriders to the
mountain top from one of
the existing lifts.
Always, call any ski resort
before you go.

Venice Public Library
300 S. Nokomis Ave., 861-
1330
sclibs.net
International Cinema
The 2005 Italian series "The
Best of Youth" will be shown
at 5 p.m. Dec. 18 and 19. The
films are in Italian with
English subtitles.
VPL film festival
Film historian Jim Orville will
produce and host the 11th
season of the Venice Public
Library annual film festival.

All films are Thursdays at 6
p.m. Dec. 7, see "Rhapsody"
(1945) with Elizabeth Taylor;
Dec. 14: "The Jazz Singer"
(1980) with Neil Diamond;
Dec. 21: "The Phantom of the
Opera" (2005) with Emmy,
Rossum; Dec. 28: "The
Producers" (2005).
Writers series
This season's literary theme
centers on a group of writers
and actors at the epicenter of
the literary and theatrical
world of the Roaring
Twenties: The Algonquin

Round Table. The 'stars of
these regular meetings at the
Algonquin Hotel in New York
included Dorothy Parker,
Robert Benchley, George S.
Kauffman, Moss Hart,
Tallulah Bankhead and Edna
Ferber,, with a host of other
celebrities. Most theme
events will be at 2 p.m.
Friday: Dec. 8, see "The
Green Pastures" (1936), writ-
ten and directed by Marc
Conelly. Dec. 15, Joan
Crawford and Clark Gable
star in "Dancing Lady" (1933).
Fourteen more Algonquin-

related events will be present-
ed in 2007.
Symphony la carte
Tuesday, Dec. 12, noon-1
p.m., Wesley John Schu-
macher, conductor of the
Venice Symphony, previews'
upcoming weekend, holiday
concerts. Schumacher in-
cludes biographical notes
about the composers and the
social and political history
surrounding the music, as
well as discussing the struc-
tural form of the music.
Participants are invited to

bring lunch.
Cecilian concert
Thursday, Dec. 14, 11 a.m-
noon, The Cecilian Music
Society presents a free con-
cert entitled Encore. The
Cecilians give live music con-
certs after their regular
monthly meetings, usually
held the third Thursday of
each month during season.
Women on the go
Women who want to travel
are invited to a support and'
discussion group that meets.

2-4 p.m. every third Monday
of the month. Members share
travel experiences and give
encouragement- and help in
independent trip planning to
others in the group. Next
meeting is Dec. 18.
French club
Practice your basic French
language skills Fridays at 10
a.m. with the VPL French
Club. The group practices
French conversation during
the first' hour, followed by
readings from French litera-
Please see BRIEFS, 10B

ture and current topics dur-
ing the second hour. Copies
of the readings available at
the VPL circulation desk. New
members welcome.
Adult computer classes
One-hour computer lab
classes on MS Word, E-mail,
Windows and eBay are being
taught by VPL reference
librarians. For a list of classes
and registration, stop by the
reference desk or call 861-
1340.
Plant help
Bring your gardening ques-
tions to Venice Public Library
9:30 a.m.-noon, Thursdays.
Experts from the Sarasota
County Extension Service will
help you with your horticul-
tural problems.
Youth activities
* Dial-A-Story: Dial 486-2330
and enjoy a two-minute fairy
tale for ages 5-10. The story is
changed every two days.
* Preschool storytime:
Tuesday, 10-10:30 a.m. for
independent 3- to 5-year-
olds; and Tot Time Storytime:
Thursday, 10-10:30 a.m. for
birth to 3 years and a caregiv-
er. Dec. 5 and 7: Snow Fun;
Dec. 12 and 14: Winter; Dec.
19 and 21: Holidays; Dec. 26
and 28: Film Day.
* Forty Carrots Family Center
activities, 9:30-10:30 a.m.,
Friday through Dec. 8, for
babies through age 5. Free.
Register in person on class
days.
* Sharkbunny and His Friends
Help Save Our Rivers!, 3:30-4
p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 6, with
local author Sandy Kostetsky.
Crafts to follow the story.
* Doggy Tales party, 6:30-7:30
p.m., Monday, Dec. 11.
Families read to Suncoast

For most of my life, I've
lived in apartments. So mov-
ing into a house 2-1/2 years
ago has taken some getting
used to. The differences
between the two lifestyles
have been well documented
by every comedian who
thinks it's funny to hear an
upstairs neighbor flushing a
toilet in the middle of the
night or to see a 90-year-old
Hungarian woman's house-
coat blow open as she's fetch-
ing the newspaper.
But while the visual and
auditory differences in
lifestyle are well known,
there's another sensory differ-
ence that seems to get a lot
less billing: the difference in
smells. For.example, whereas
my last apartment offered a
potpourri of neighbor smells

including burnt toast, mari-
juana smoke and spices that
must have been smuggled
into the country in dress
shields, my house offers an
aroma I find even more trou-
bling: skunk.
Skunk smell is much less
offensive than it's reputed to
be at first. And I've got to
admit that the two polecats I
saw waddling in the alley a
few weeks ago were pretty
cute in a "run for your life"
kind of way. But when the
smell of skunk seeps into your
bedroom from somewhere
outside at least once a week, it
becomes more offensive to a
lifelong apartment dweller
than even the laughter of chil-
dren.
So, in honor of the darling
little stinky polecats that have
made suburban living so hard
to swallow, I offer this column
on "skunked terms."
I'll let Bryan Garner of
"Garner's Modern American
Usage" define this term:
"When a word undergoes a
marked change from one use
to another a phase that
might take ten years or a hun-
dred it's likely to be the
subject of dispute. Some peo-
ple (Group 1) insist on the tra-
ditional use; others (Group 2)
embrace the new use, even if

it originated purely as the
result of 'word-swapping' or
'slipshod extension.'"
Take the sentence, "The
data on skunk homicides sug-
gests they occur mostly in the
suburbs." How do you like the
subject/verb combination:
"data suggests"? Would you
prefer "data suggest"? If so,.
you're a member of Garner's
Group 1, likely to insist that
"data" is a plural the plural
of datum. And you would
insist that "data" take a plural
verb: "The data are convinc-
ing."
But perhaps you're in
Group 2, whose members
spent most of their early teen
years giving wedgies to any-
one who would use a word
like "datum." You, then, are
perfectly comfortable with
using "data" as a sort of mass
noun and giving it a singular
verb. "The data is convinc-
ing."
Either way, you're the vic-
tim of a skunked term. Yes,
"data" started as a plural. But
it's in transition. And most
authorities now accept it as a.
singular- a mass entity, so to
speak, But people who
remember the time when this
was a no-no or who went out
of their way to learn the dif-
ference continue to look

down their noses at anyone
who follows "data" with a sin-
gular verb.
An even skunkier term, in
my opinion, is "media."
Traditionalists insist that it's
the plural of "medium." And a
plural is a plural, they say.
"The media are biased."
Language liberals argue
that "media"" has indeed
evolved into a word that
sometimes refers to a singular
entity. And most dictionaries
and style guides allow this
usage. "The media is biased."
Other skunked terms
include "hopefully," "enormi-
ty," "effete," "decimate" and
"transpire" all words that
are in stinky stages of transi-
tion.
How should you deal with
these terms? Well, if you're
cheeky like me, you can use
them however you like,
armed with enough style
guides to defend yourself
against anyone who'd call you
"wrong." But if you're a little
more cautious, you might
want to avoid such odorous
words altogether.
June Casagrande is a free-
lance writer and author of
"Grammar Snobs Are Great
Big Meanies." She can be
reached at: word@gram-
marsnobs.com.

Holiday magic will deck
the halls and add sparkle to
the decks for guests who sail
with Disney Cruise Line con-
tinuing through to the New
Year. Both Disney Magic and
Disney Wonder will spread an
abundance of holiday cheer,
from traditional Thanksgiving
and Christmas feasts to
"snowflake" sightings and
seasonal caroling.
A special 10-Night Holiday
Caribbean Cruise is planned
for Disney Magic from Dec.

16-26. The Eastern/Southern
Caribbean cruise will call at
ports not typically on the
Disney Magic cruise itinerary,
including St. Lucia and
Antigua.
The spirit of the season will
surround cruise guests from
the moment they arrive at
Port Canaveral, Fla. Disney
characters decked out in their
finest holiday attire will wel-
come guests to the lavishly
decorated private cruise ter-
minal. During holiday sail-
ings, guests will discover:
A nearly three-deck-tall

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE WALT DISNEY CRUISE LINE
The Disney Magic offers alternating seven-night Caribbean cruise vacations that feature magical entertainment, clever program-
ming and unique dining experiences. The Disney Magic and her sister ship, the Disney Wonder, make up the Disney Cruise Line
fleet that sails year-roundout of Port Canaveral, Fla.

The Holidays are magical aboard Disney Cruise Line. Guests on
both the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder will find a nearly
three-deck-tall tree festooned with decorations in the atrium
lobby, where "snow" flurries fall and a tree-lighting ceremony
occurs.

Tired of Waiting in Line for a Oi//e

Our exciting membership programs
let you play when f/

To Learn more about our award-winning Club, please join
us for a Wine & Cheese Social on Wednesday,
December 6th at 5:30pm 1901 Jacaranda Blvd, Venice
Special incentives and non equity memberships available.

I D Nationwide
On Your Side"
Actual savings may vary. 2005 Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and Affiliated Companies. Subject
to underwriting guidelines, review and approval. Products and discounts not available to all persons in all
states. For costs and complete details of the coverage, please contact Nationwide. Nationwide, On Your
Side, Life Comes At You Fast, and Nationwide is on your side are registered federal service and trade
marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.

tree festooned with decora-
tions in the atrium lobby,
where "snow" flurries fall and
a tree-lighting ceremony
occurs.
A Christmas Day visit from
Santa Goofy, with surprises
for all the kids.
International holiday car-
oling by crew members from
around the globe (exclusively
on the Christmas cruise).
Special' family time for
designing and decorating
gingerbread houses.
A reading of "The Night
Before Christmas" by Mrs.
Claus.
Traditional holiday feasts
in Disney's three themed din-
ing rooms (Christmas cruise

SEATING IS LIMITED

only).
Multiple faith and interde-
nominational holiday ser-
vices (Christmas and Han-
ukkah cruise only).
A ship-wide party to ring in
2007 and a New Year's Day
tailgate party.
After Thanksgiving, the
island will be transformed
into a Magical Wonderland,
where the sandy Bahamian
isle becomes a "snowy" holi-
day hideaway. "Snow" flurries
will fall like magic, Christmas
trees will glow and carolers
will croon. Mr. and Mrs.
Snowman, wearing shell
noses and tropical attire, will
greet guests with a sleigh full
of presents. The tram that

RESERVE YOUR SEAT

1-800-868-6864
HOSTED BY: MARK K. DONOHUE

ADVISING FLORIDA RETIREES FOR 28 YEARS
Investment Workshop Topics Include:
Why bond rates may not rise after all
What are the pitfalls of index annuities?

transports guests across the
1,000-acre island will be rein-
deer themed, complete with
antlers and tail.
At the beach, families can
learn the art of sand sculpt-
ing, and .kids can dive
into holiday-themed activi-
ties that include making
candy cane reindeer, paper
plate angels and snowflake-.
mobiles..
The Disney Magic 10-
Night Holiday Caribbean
Cruise departs Dec. 16, with
visits to Key West, St. Maarten,
St. Lucia, Antigua, St.
Thomas/St. John and
Castaway Cay. The Disney
Wonder four-night Christmas
cruise departs Dec. 24, with

visits to Nassau and Castaway
Cay.
To celebrate the New Year,
Disney Magic departs on its
seven-night Western Carib-
bean itinerary Dec. 30; Disney
Wonder departs Dec. 31 for its
four-night cruise.
Through the New Year,
Disney Cruise Line guests will
experience a magical holiday
to remember. To learn more
about Disney Cruise Line or
to book a vacation, guests can
contact their travel profes-
sional, visit disneycruise.com
or call Disney Cruise Line at
(888) DCL-2500. Travel agents
can call Disney Cruise Line at
(888) 325-2500 or visit dis
neytravelagents.com.

SUNDAY,
DEC. 3
Music events
* The American Legion No-Vel
Unit 159 present music by the
Eddie Z, 3-6 p.m. at 1770 E.
Venice Ave. Members and
guests welcome. Call (941)
488-1157.
* Venice Symphony Brass
Quintet performs in Venice
Symphony's Sunday Music
Series, Music Outside the Box,
at 4 p.m. at Jacaranda Trace,
3600 William Penn Way (near
the intersection of Jacaranda
Boulevard and U.S. 41). This
small ensemble of French horn
(Robert Moore), two trumpets
(Carol Cronenwett and Richard
Thierry), trombone (Jamie
Marshall), and tuba (Wendall
Schmoe) will perform early'
American music, holiday
favorites and music by Gabrieli,
Rossini and Bizet. Tickets are
$20. Call (941) 488-1010.
* Don Riddell and The Hepcats
perform 7-9 p.m. at the Venice
United Church of Christ, 620
Shamrock Blvd. Joining Riddell
will be local vocalist Bev Gerety.
Talented musicians in the audi-
ence are invited to participate.
Admission is. $5 unless you
bring an instrument to play.
VisitVeniceUCC.org.

The Pine View School Choral
holiday concert takes place at 4
p.m. at the Church of the
Redeemer, 222 S. Palm Ave.,
Sarasota. Conductor is
Loisanne Robbins. Call (941)
955-4263 or visit redeemersara
sota.org.
The second concert of the
First United Methodist
-"Church's Jazz in die Chapel of
the Arts series takes place at 5
p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at 104 S.
Pineapple Ave., Sarasota.
Johnny Moore on drums,
Cam Brooks on bass, and Ron
Barber on piano join David
Pruyn,. trumpeter and vocal-
ist. Donations welcome. Call
(941) 955-0935.
The Sarasota Choral Society
presents the 62nd annual per-

formance of the Christmas
portion of George Frederick
Handel's "Messiah, a Sacred
Oratorio," at Church of the
Palms, 3224 Bee Ridge Road,
Sarasota. The performance
will feature an orchestra of
key players from the Sarasota
POPS Orchestra, along with
organist Elena Pierini and
vocal soloists Jeanette LaVoy,
Lisa Wittman, Harv Wileman
and Colman Reaboi. Tickets
available for the dress
rehearsal at 3:15 p.m. at $15
per person, and the full per-
formance will be held at 6:15
p.m. for $20 per person. Call
the Church of the Palms at
(941) 924-1323, or Mathis
Music at (941) 924-2202.
* La Musica di Asolo,
Sarasota's International
Chamber. Music Festival,
takes place at 4 p.m. at 5401
Bayshore Road, featuring
three outstanding artists from
the world of classical music:
Federico Agostini on violin,
Emilio Colon on cello, and
Derek Han on piano. Tickets
are $35-$45. Call (941) 360-
7399.
* The award-winning cham-
ber chorale Exsultate! pre-
sents "Celebrate Christmas -
the Very Best Time of the

BEST BETSN
THE LOCAL SCENE

New England party

The New England Club of Englewood
holds its Christmas party Monday, Dec.
4 at noon at the Englewood Elks Club
on Indiana Avenue. Tickets are $12. New
members welcome. Call Bob at (941)
474-5831.

Holiday Music
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas
Program will be shown by closed circuit broad-
cast, Sunday, Dec. 3, 7:30-9 p.m., at the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Venice Avenue
at Havana Road. The public is invited to attend
and there is no charge. Refreshments will be

Year!" at 3:30 p.m. at Grace
United Methodist Church,
400 E. Field Ave. Conductor
and artistic director is Woody
McDonell; Exsultate! mem-
bers are highly trained profes-
sional musicians, music edu-
cators and other talented
vocalists. Season tickets are
$40 for three concerts.
Individual concert tickets are
$17, or $5 for students. They
are available at the door or by
calling (941) 484-8491.
Sunday games
* Knights of Columbus holds
bingo at 2 p.m. Sunday at 512
Substation Road. Doors open
at noon. Snacks available. Call
484-4512.
* VFW Post 8118 hosts Euchre
at 2 p.m. Sunday at 832 E.
Venice Ave. in Venice. All play-
ers welcome.
Get out
* The Venice Audubon Society
leads a free guided bird walk
for the public at 7:30 a.m. at
Carlton Reserve at the. end of
Border Road; meet in the
parking area. Call 496-8984.
* Oscar Scherer State Park
offers Sunday morning walks
in the park, 8:30-10 a.m. dur-
ing the winter and spring.
Meet at the ranger station at
1843 South Tamiami Trail,
Osprey. Call 483-5956 or visit
floridastateparks.org/oscarsc
herer.
* The American Littoral
Society leads a kayak trip on
Little Sarasota Bay, 9:30-12:30
p.m. Equipment and training
provided. Fee: $20 for mem-
bers, $25 for nonmembers.
Call John Sarkozy at (941) 966-
7308.

DayStar is a local, High-Tech telecommunications
company serving businesses in 33 industries on the
Florida Gulf coast. Our customers range in size from
home offices to the county government, major hospi-
tals and multi-location banks and real estate firms.

'Great Comedians'
The Venice Little Theatre pre-
sents Brad Zinn in his one-man
show, "The Great Comedians,"
at 8 p.m. Dec. 3 and 4 at 140 W
Tampa Ave. Tickets are $30 for
Zinn's salute to childhood
heroes of comedy, plus music,
and magic. Call (941) 488-1115
or visit venicestage.com.
Reunions
* The New York City Municipal
Retirees of Florida hold their
annual holiday party at 12:30
p.m. at Vincenzo's, 385 North
U.S. 41 Bypass. A full-course
luncheon will be served. All are
welcome. For a reservation
form, visit NYCMR.com or con-
tact Robert Merrill at (941) 966-
1036.
* The Cornell Club of
Sarasota/Manatee meets at
noon for a champagne
brunch. Dr. Robert Barylski,
professor at USF, discusses
Russia, Iran and Oil. RSVP to
Bob Cutler at (941) 907-0234
or, for transportation, call
(941) 366-3125.
Kids Christmas party
Disabled American Veterans
hosts a Christmas party rinoon-3
, p.m., Saturday, Dec. 16, at 600
Colonia Lane in Nokomis. Gifts
will be given to all registered
children age 12 and younger.
See Santa and enjoy hot dogs
and soda, music and surprises.
Sign up by Dec. 3 by calling the
DAV at (941) 488-4500 or (941)
716-4235.
Circle Books, 478 John Ringling
Blvd., St. Armands Circle,
Sarasota, 388-2850
* 10:30 a.m., Stan Zimmerman
signs copies of his book, 'A
History of Smuggling in
Florida: Rum Runners and
Cocaine Cowboys."
* 1 p.m., Carl Hiaasen signs
copies of his new novel,
"Nature Girl."
Please see VENUE-13B

Support groups
The American Cancer
Society, Sarasota Unit, offers
free Man to Man prostate
cancer education and sup-
port programs for men cop-
ing with prostate cancer.
Groups meet at noon at
Venice HealthPark, 1201
Jacaranda Blvd. Call the ACS
at 497-4309, Ext. 43.
The Hard of Hearing
Support Group meets at 9
;, a.m. at the Venice office of the
Community Center for the
Deaf and Hard of Hearing of
Manatee/Sarasota, 628 Cy-
press Ave. Blair Post, who is

board certified in hearing
instrument sciences, will be
facilitator. Call CCDHH at
(941) 758-2539 (v/tty) or (941)
921-5447 (v/tty) or e-mail
info@ccdhh.org.
Park friends
The Friends of Oscar Scherer
State Park hold their annual
membership meeting at 6
p.m., Monday, Dec. 4, in the
Nature Center at the park,
1843 South Tamiami Trail,
Osprey. All are welcome to
. bring a dish or dessert for this
potluck event.
VLT auditions
Venice Little Theatre's Troupe
in a Trunk, a touring group of
adults acting for children,
holds auditions at 1 p.m. in
the rehearsal studio on the
second floor at 140 W Tampa
Ave. Director Sandy Davisson
is looking for six to eight
adults to play roles in "The
Time Machine." Those audi-
tioning are encouraged to
wear comfortable clothing
and footwear as floor move-
ment is required. Rehearsals
and performances will take
place during the week and
during school hours. 'Scripts
are available by calling Sandy
or Rhonda at (941) 486-8679.
Visit venicestage.com to learn
more.
Food bank
The Florida Department of
Agriculture and Consumer
Services and All Faiths Food
Bank distribute free USDA
commodities to eligible
Sarasota County residents,
10 a.m.-1 p.m., at Venice
Community Center, 326 S.
Nokomis Ave. Call 483-3338.
Monday games
The Venice Florida Chess
Club meets 1-5 p.m. at Venice
Public Library, 300 S.
Nokomis Ave. All are wel-
,come. Call the library at 861-
1332.
Disabled American Veterans

Audience participation is
invited for this event, which
featured vocal soloists Carol
Cornwell, Sylvia Hollinghead,
Robert Lischetti and David
Katz. Director is Roy Engler.
Accompanist is John Renfroe.
Admission is $10, $5 for stu-
dents and children.
* Stir the Soul Coffeehouse of
Venice hosts an open jam for
musicians at 7 p.m. at 525 E.
Venice Ave. Contact Frannie
at mysticada@aol.com.
Republican Club
Thee Sarasota Republican
Club holds its Christmas
party Thursday, Dec. 7, at the
Sarasota Yacht Club. Social at
6 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. $25
for members and $28 for
guests. Bring an tinwrapped
toy for donation to the
Salvation Army. RSVP by Dec.
4 to Nancy Bankauf at (941)
371-1191.

Richard Bradway & Associates is pleased to announce the addition of
Freya Fuller to their team of professjonahs.,Feyy i .a,Florida native,, her
childhood spent on St. Petersburg beach..
Freya, along with her husband, Bob, owner of a State Farm Insurance
Agency in North Port, moved to the Venice area with their family 27
years ago. The first fifteen years the Fuller family were residents of
Waterford, but since then the Myakka River has served as a.backdrop to
their lovely home in Myakka River Trails.
A veteran REALTOR, Freya knows the area well and has witnessed
various market trends. Freya states, "I love specializing in
residential real estate and especially enjoy matching people with
S homes, regardless of price range."
Her new grandchild and her Pomeranian, Jasmine, also keep her busy,
but not too busy to help you find the perfect home! Freya Fuller can be
reached at our main office, 230 So. Tamiami Trail on the Island of
Venice, (941) 412-3323, or her cellular, (941) 223-1644.
Freya Fuller -
Office: 941 412-3323 Richar Braway
Cell: 941-223-1644 & Associates, Inc. REALTORS'

"This benefit of seeing ... can come only if you pause a while,
extricate yourself from the maddening mob of quick impressions
ceaselessly battering our lives, and look thoughtfully at a quiet
image ... the viewer must be willing to pause, to look again, to
meditate." Dorothea Lange, Photographer (1895-1965)

ALONG THE WAY IN SARASOTA & VENICE

Venice Gondolier Sun Photojournalist Jeff Tavares took the photographs on this page in
Sarasota and Venice on the way to assignments the past two weeks.

SUNDAY
DEC. 3,2006

THE SUN

Sun Coasthwest Florida's Guide To Building & Remodeling Your Home
Southwest Florida's Guide To Building & Remodeling Your Home

Come see our three new furnished
models-at River Club.
Free lot premiums and up to $20,000 in upgrades!*
At River Club in Port Charlotte, you and your family will find the serene lifestyle of a riverside
town. Only a short distance from the gently flowing Peace River, this charming gated community
of single-family homes offers you a choice of 12 floor plans with three to five bedrooms, two
to four-and-one-half baths and two- and three-car garages. Prices start in the mid $200s.
On pre-construction homes, you can get up to a $20,000 value in upgrades and your lot premium is
free! You'll also enjoy an array of planned community amenities you and your family will use every
day, including: Clubhouse Resort-style heated pool Children's playground Fitness center with
cabana bath Barbecue and picnic area .* Nearby schools
You get a lot more than a new'home when you live in a D.R. Horton community-you get
an incredible value. D.R. Horton is the largest homebuilder in America, building more than 50,000
homes a year in 27 states. And, because we stand for value, we pass the savings on to you.
Ahead in design. Above in craftsmanship. And alone in value. That's D.R. Horton.

DiR-HORION' m

For a complete list of Quick Delivery Homes, visit drhorton.com

All prices and availability are subject to change without notice.
Please see sales associate for details. Broker participation welcome. ,

DIRECTIONS TO RIVER CLUB: Take 1-75 to Harborview Road (exit 167) and go west. Make a
right onto Oakview Drive and proceed approximately 100 yards to the community on your left.
*Available on pre-construction homes under contract by 12/31/06.

The -AR4,, Sun

Venice Gondolier Sun Sunday, December 3, 2006

Venice Gondolier Sun Sunday, December 3, 2006

The Sun

Page 4 D/E/N/C/V

IN THE SPOTLIGHT:

SUPPORT GROUPS Listed every Sunday in Feeling Fit

Chr$otte BuiktEn

Location Map

Visit Any of These Fine Builders and Let Them Show You
Your Dream Home Plans Today! Models Open Daily!

PROVIDED BY RIVERWOOD
GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB
iverwood Golf &
Country Club, a
Centex Homes
development in
Port Charlotte,
currency has nine
carriage home residences in
the neighborhood of Tarpon
Harbor II available for
immediate occupancy upon
closing.
Seven of the residences are
located along die Myakka
River, three of which are on
the 2nd floor and offer.
spectacular views of the
Myakka River. Two downstairs
resideces overlook the
nature preserve. Because
these residences are complet-
L several include designer
upgrades that are already in
place such as granite counter-
tops and stainless steel
appliances. Prices begin
below $300,000 on these
ready-to-move-into homes.
There are two floor plans to
choose from in Tarpon Harbor

IL. The Montego is a first-floor
residence that encompasses
1,657 square feet of living
space and 2,329 total square
feet. The home offers two
bedrooms, twvo baths, a den,
morning room and a two-car
garage.
The Osprey, a second-floor
residence, includes two,
bedrooms, two baths, a media
room and a one-car garage. It
is a great room design with a
separate area for the formal
dining room. A large media
room includes a storage closet
and has ON THE COVER:
-the option Sunset views of the
of being a Myakka River from
third second floor
bedroom. Tarpon Harbor 11
The home residences are
encom- spectacular.
passes
2,040
square feet of living space and
2,534 total square feet.
Although the designer
upgrades vary in the complet-
ed residences, standard
features in both plans include

To Place Your Ad On This Map...
Please Call Rachelle 206-1256
or Kimn 206-1257

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Venice Gondolier Sun Sunday, December 3, 2006

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During the month of December, we'll help you get started decorating your new Ryland home in Suncoast
Lakes with a $3,000 furniture package from Rooms To Go! Hurry in to Suncoast Lakes today for super-low

prices on these and additional quick move-in homes. Visit
and interactive floorplans.

Suncoast Lakes

before you come for driving directions

2863 Suncoast Lakes Blvd., Port Charlotte (941) 613-1506
2 miles west of 1-75, exit 170, then left on Suncoast Blvd.

-~ t

The Sanibel
Lot #90
1,688 sq. ft.
2~3,5r- $229,970

The Marco
Lot #88
1,881 sq. ft.
nn'-7Cs $239,990

2,048
arver OL A
qSrovl^^-Fo-

sq. ft.
$245,000

Sanibel

C. ldf ofIP:tRfk

Bonita
Springs

Naples

<1 Banyan Bay
Fiot the $360's
From the $430's
"A.

Heron Creek

<3 Promenade at The Forum
Castillo Series From the $330's
Chateau Series From the $380's
Palazzo Series From the $450's
SRemington Oaks
From the $500's
|y River Hall
Family Homes From the $350's
Golf Homes From the $430's
SSandoval
From the $300's

Ii

Suncoast Lakes
From the $200's

(239) 225-5772

(239) 633-8669

(239) 939-4907

(239) 462-5213

(239) 939-5107

(239) 283-8571

(941) 613-1506

*Rooms To Go shopping spree valid only on select homes purchased between 11/1/06 and 12/31/06.
Home must close by 12/31/06, and buyer must use Ryland Mortgage. $3,000 Rooms To Go gift certificate
awarded after closing, not redeemable for cash. May not be combined with any other offer. Applies to
Ryland's Ft. Myers Division only. All prices, plans, features, and special offers are subject to change without
notice. See Sales Counselor for details. 2006 Ryland CGC059780

RYLAND HOMES@
ryland.com

i

The Siesta'
Lot #89

Captive

N

s

EOALHOUSINn

T h e S u n

Page 5 D/E/N/CN

Jire the Rirerwood lifestyle for under $300,000

* LIVE
From page 4

package is included and
features a dishwasher,
garbage disposal, refrigerator
with icemaker, microwave and
a self-cleaning range with
glass cooktop.
Bathrooms offer full-width
mirrors over cultured marble
vanities and sinks, raised-
panel cabinets, and a Moen
chrome fixture package. The
master bath will include a
separate bathtub and ceramic
tiled shower.
Interior features include
interior six-panel doors;
ceramic tile floors in the entry,
kitchen/nook, bathroom and
laundry room; three ceiling
fans with choice of location; a
security system; a utility room
equipped with a large-
capacity washer and dryer,
plus storage cabinets; alu-
minum window frames with
tinted glass; and gray marble
windowsills.
Exterior and structural

features include knockdown
.finish on walls and ceilings, a
"Tubes in the Wall" pest
defense system, a concrete
villa tile roof, storm shutters
over all operable glass open-
ings, impact glass for fixed
glass openings, steel rein-
forced concrete block con-
struction and a professionally
designed landscape package
with automatic lawn sprinkler
system.
Each home in Tarpon
Harbor II features exterior
maintenance-free living, a
screened lanai, a private
covered entry and views of the
Myakka River and/or the
nature preserves of River-
wood.
Several new residences are
yet to be built in Tarpon
Harbor II with a selection of
river or preserve views, At
completion the neighborhood
will have 80 carriage home
residences, with four homes
in each two-story building. In
addition to the carriage
homes, Riverwood also offers
twin villas from the mid
$200,000s, single-family

D shop and grille. An Activity
/ -Center is managed by a full
time staff and includes a
junior Olympic-size pool with
h.e spa, a fitness center, library,
meeting rooms and a ball-
room with stage. The River-
wood Croquet Club boasts a
-full size court and is a mem-
ber of the United States
Croquet Association. A full
t ,.tennis program is available
. with play on six Har-Tru
R i tennis courts, four of which
are lighted for evening play.
Even pets have a social life at
Riverwood where play dates
can be arranged in the
community Dog Park.
Riverwood's Beach Club,
located on the Gulf of Mexico,
features lockers, a changing
..'.. ... .area, grills and private park-
PHOTO PROVIDED BY RIVERWOOD GOLF & COUNTRY.CLUB To view available units,
PERMANENT NATURE PRESERVES are the backdrop for several immediately available carriage homes in please visit the Riverwood
Riverwood. Sales & Information Center,
located on S.R. 776, four miles
homes from-the low $300,000s options and free homeowner offers an unmatched collec- west of Port Charlotte's Town
and estate homes and home association fees for one year tion of amenities including a Center mall in Charlotte
sites for just over $400,000. on specified available inven- 4.5-star Golf Digest rated golf County. For more informa-
Right now Centex Homes is tory homes. course, a golf learning center, tion, please call 941-764-6660
offering special financing The Riverwood lifestyle and golf clubhouse with pro (riverwoodportcharlotte.com.)

Now's the time for you to start enjoying Heron Creek's elegant
lifestyle, fine amenities, beautiful homes, and wondrous views.
Visit the Information Center today to see the new homes available
in our last two neighborhoods. Memberships available.

Publish: November 23, 26,
INVITATION TO BID December 3, 10, 2006
233834 1777152
INVITATION TO BID: Sealed
bids for furnishing all labor NOTICE OF AUCTION
and material and performing
all work necessary and inci- NOTICE OF PUBLIC AUCTION
dental to the completion of The following vehicle/vessel/(s) will
Charlotte County Public be auctioned for unpaid towing &
storage charges 'only, per FS
Schools, Charlotte High 713.78.
School- New Athletic Corn- On 12/20/2006 at 9:00 am at
plex-Phase I will be 106 Corporation Way, Venice
received by Ajax Building Cor 1- 11994 Dod, RaO 1500, Pk,
Grn, 1B7HC16ZORS550242
portion at their office at ackie's Auto Body
1175 Education Drive, 19888 Veterans Hwy
Punta Gorda, FL 33950, Port Charlotte, FL
until 1:00 PM local time on PUBLISH: December 3, 2006

1030 WATERFRONT INVITATION TO BID
HOMES
December 8, 2006, Scope
3/br spacious pool home includes: Site Survey; Material
with lots of lanai & patio Testing; Site Demo & Site
areas + mother-in-law Work; Concrete Work; Mason-
room overlooking tran- ry Work; Structural and Mis-
quil pond. $280,000 cellaneous Steel; Spray Fire-
www.sunacre.com proofing; Fire Protection;
941-488-8143 Sunacre Plumbing; HVAC; Electrical;
Casework, Cabinets, and Mill-
3/2/2 Rotonda pool home on work; Roofing; Doors,
canal, Motivated seller. NO Frames, and Hardware; Store-
AGENTS PLEASE. $189,000. front, Windows, and Glass;
BY OWNER (207)-314-4199 Drywall; Hard Tile; Carpet and
Resilient Flooring; Acoustical
PUT CLASSIFIEDS Ceiling; Painting and Coatings;
TO WORK FOR YOU Final Cleaning; Landscaping
Venice, Englewood, and Irrigation; Miscellaneous
North Port 207-1200 Specialties; Signage; Food
Pt. Charlotte Areas Service Equipment;' Athletic
Call 206-1200 Equipment; Fixed Seating;
Bleachers, Natural Sports
Turf; Asphalt Running Track
9675 S.W. ANCHOR and Coating; Threshold
DRIVE (by Navigator Inspection; Chain Link Fence;
Restaurant) 2/2./3, Coiling Door,& Grille; Only
Deep draft sailboat bidders meeting prequalifica-
water on an oversized tion criteria may bid. Interest-
tip lot. No cost mtg ed bidders may request the
100% Financing with Bidder Qualifications Package
Good Credit. $469,938 by contacting Shane Allen at
Ajax Building Corporation,
DEEP CREEK 1175 Education Drive, Punta
Beautiful 3/2/2 Pool Gorda, FL 33950, by fax at
Home Oversized. cul- (941) 575-6515, or by e-mail
de-sac lot on Lake at ddreier@ajaxbuilding.com.
Henry. gourmet kitchen Pre qualified bidders may
all new cabinets, stain- obtain contract documents at
less appliances, gran- Ajax Building Corporation
ite. Lots of upgrades. 1175 Education Drive, Punta
$315,938 Gorda, FL 33950 by providing
a refundable deposit in the
Valeria Thompson, amount of $75. All checks
Century 21 Almar shall be made payable to Ajax
(941)-380.2955 Building Corporation. No bid
documents will be distributed
t.- -,i h i ..aer I lo j ,L within seven (7) days of date
,.,:, gore:.uj .E of bid receipt, each bid must
-. :..-4. ,ai, L:uiw ". be accompanied by a Bid
-l': j14' aiu-h't;r e.'ir",, i Bond, certified check or
,, .:. Wate i ronri -.ra.. cashier's check in the amount
I 1P Ei.:arrru -.el' u. i not less than five percent (5%)
see to appreciate extras, of the total amount of the
Punta Gorda. $235,000 or base bid. No bids may be
Lease/Option to Buy. Utopia withdrawn after the scheduled
Comm Realty (9411)-575-7111 closing time for receipt of
Desirable Peace River Shores same for a period of sixty (60)
- waterfront. Affordable 2 BR days. Ajax Building Corpora-
beauty. Put your boat in your tion reserves the right to
back yard for access to the reject any and all bids
river and into the Gulf. Won't received and to waive any and
last at $315,000. Utopia all informalities or irregulari-
Comm Realty (9411-575-7111 ties in regard thereto.
MBE/WBE and. local participa-
tion is. strongly encouraged.
Dates are subject to change.
Dreams Do Come Notice of change will be given
Dreams Do Come to Pre-Qualified bidders.
True! Publish: November 19, 26,
3/2/2 on Pellam Waterway December 3, 2006

Riverwood is a Gated Community with Golf, Tennis,
Activity Center, State of the Art Fitness Center, Pool,
Close to Beaches and Marinas. Fabulous Lifestyle.
Riverwood Resales Mid 200's to Over 1 Million.
From Rt.41 and 776 in Murdock,go west on 776 about
4 miles to entrance
Come Visit or Call 941-743-9663 or 1-800-874-1869

Let us help you get into your dream home today with our unique *l C n J
lease option program. You don't need good credit. We will
qualify you for free to see what price range you need to stay in. I 1 00I O' ,i
You then select any available home on the market in your price *l'os ingCos
range and we'll make it happen. You are in control. Call today
for more details on this great program. I GEM *T G.P

"MANY CONDOS IN VARIOUS AREAS**
OVER 26 LISTINGS TO CHOOSE FROM
ONE BEDROOM CONDO ,........$775
TWO BEDROOMS CONDO.,$670, 1000
THREE BEDROOMS CONDO,,$900.$1200
VILLA'S WITH GARAGE .......... $975.$1200
CALL (EMAIL FOR LIST OF ALL RENTALS
SSEASONAL FURNISHED ALSO AVAILABLE

On December 25th a special page of the Sun :
Newspapers will be devoted to pictures of q
.area babies who are celebrating their first
Christmas. You may purchase a spot for only
$35.00. Please send us a photo of your baby,
with your check or credit card number, to the
address below, before noon December 19th to
include your child on this special Keepsake
Page.

ame: If you'd like the photo returned, please include ^
a self-addressed stamped envelope. z

Crisis Specialists/Screen-
ers CSU
Full Time and also Part
Time/PRN to cover for FT and
PT employees' days, week-
ends and/or evenings. FL
LCSW, LMHC, Psychologist or
ARNP req. Screen and also
provide crisis intervention
services as a mobile crisis
team member in Charlotte
County
Assessment Counselor -
Outpatient
Full Time. BA in Human Ser-
vices field req. Min. 2 yrs.
exp. working with children and
adults. Exp with a co-occur-
ring population is preferred.
Assess mental health/sub-
stance abuse needs of con-
sumers seeking services
emergency and non-emer-
gency); develop and imple-
ment treatment plans; main-
tain documentation including
outcome tools; and be knowl-
edgeable of and able to effec-
ively communicate with relat-
ed community service organi-
zations.

Charlotte County
Board of County
Commissioners
Information &
Referral Specialist

We are looking for people
who have an adequate
knowledge of community
resources available in Char-
lotte County. Applicants
should possess patience
and good judgment with
good people skills. And
have an interest and con-
cern for people of all ages
in need. Must possess
excellent computer skills,
customer service and tele-
phone interview skills. We
request that all applicants
have a positive outlook and
be a team player.

Children's Home
Society of Florida has a
position available for
Family Support Worker.
Individual will be work-
ing in the home visiting,
program in our Port
Charlotte office.
Requires high school
diploma or GED, plus 2
years experience work-
ing with children/fami-
lies. Fluency in Eng-
lish/Spanish a plus.
Fax resume to attention
of HR, 888-470-5921
or apply online at
www.chsfl.org

CIRCULATION
DISTRICT .
MANAGER ,:

The Circulation
Department of the
Charlotte Sun has an
opening for a Full-Time
District Manager.,

2010 PROFESSIONAL
DYNAMIC, FAST PACED Insur-
ance Agency looking for an
energetic resourceful, highly
intelligent self starter. The
position is a SALES/SER-
VICE role with great incentive,
but you must be a high achiev-
er and be extremely positive
with a professional appear-
ance. This position is for
someone who knows what to
do without being told. Excel-
lent pay & benefits Prior expe-
rience is not necessary but
helps. Fax resume to 941-
627-4194
Edison College Faculty

HAIR STYLIST
SIGN-ON BONUS
CALL SHEAR ENVY
941-493-5868
941-716-3107
Hairstylist needed for Venice
salon. Education & guaran-
tee. (941)485-1887 or
(941)234-6281
Healthcare Compliance
Officer
See our ad under
Medical (2030).
Florida Cancer Specialists
LOAN PROCESSOR
Are you an experienced loan
processor eager to become
a part of a growing team?
Must be professional, friendly
and detail oriented. This is
your chance to further your
professional career with a
fast growing company that
prides itself on exceptional
customer service.
-Fax resume and salary
requirements to:
(941) 206-3783
Nail Technician for Venice
salon. Booth or commission.
(941)-485-1887 or
(941)234-6281
NAIL TECH needed with or
without clientele. HAIR STYL-
IST needed with clientele. Call
Nancy @ Scruples 629-9686
NOT QUITE FITTING IN
AT YOUR CURRENT
JOB?
MAYBE IT'S TIME YOU
BECAME A PART OF A
NEW TEAM.
OUR ONLINE
EMPLOYMENT JOB
MATCHING SOLUTION
WILL PROVIDE YOU
WITH 100'S OF JOB
LISTING'S WHERE YOU
LOGIN TO YOUR
ACCOUNT TO VIEW
POTENTIAL JOBS THAT
MATCH YOUR
CRITERIA. YOUR PATH
TO A BETTER JOB
COULD BEGIN TODAY.
WWW.SUN-HERALD.COM

Full or part time Jobs. Avail-
able positions in Receptionist,
Accounting, Cashier, Book
keeping, Regional manager.
Male or female over 18 yrs
only, E-mail and Internet Expe-
rience.
Reply Immediately:
Tommywoodgatel@holmail.com

2025 COMPUTER

AutoCAD/
Graphics Specialist
Local opportunity with an
established and growing N.P.
Environmental Consulting
firm. Competitive pay and
fully paid, generous benefits
package. Must be proficient
in AutoCAD 2005 or higher.
Please email resumes to
mmiller@earthbalance.com or
fax to 941-426-8778
Attn: HR.
NEED AN EMPLOYER"
WHO ISN'T AFRAID OF
NEW TECHNOLOGY?
MAYBE IT'S TIME YOU
CHANGE JOBS -
AND SHARPEN YOUR
SKILLS.
OUR ONLINE
EMPLOYMENT JOB
MATCHING SOLUTION
WILL PROVIDE YOU
WITH 100'S OF JOB
LISTINGS WHERE YOU

CAN LOGIN TO YOUR
ACCOUNT TO VIEW
POTENTIAL JOBS THAT
MATCH YOUR
CRITERIA,
YOUR PATH TO A
BETTER JOB COULD
BEGIN TODAY
WWW.SUN-HERALD.COM

2030 MEDICAL
Florida Institute for Neurologic
Rehabilitation, Inc., is current-
ly accepting resumes for a
Case Manager at out facility
located in Wauchula, Fl. FINR
is a rehabilitation facility for
traumatic brain injury sur-
vivors. Qualifications for the
position are BA or BS in a
health related field with one to
five yrs experience in case
management. Qualified candi-
dates should submit resume
to annettedhr@finr.net or fax
to 863-773-2041. FINR offers
competitive salary and benefit
package and is a DFWP and
EOE. FOr more information
about the facility visit our web-
site atfinr.org
FRONT OFFICE RECEP-
TIONIST full time with bene-
fits needed for busy Multi Spe-
cialty Practice. Must be
responsible and have prior
medical experience. Fax
resume to 941-625-9807
P/T MEDICAL RECEPTIONIST
FOR WALK IN CLINIC IN S.
VENICE. PLEASE CALL (941)-
223-9929
Healthcare Compliance
Officer

Florida Cancer Specialists
seeks seasoned Compliance
Officer to be based at our Cor-
porate Office in Ft. Myers. Our
Compliance Officer will be
responsible for legal compli-
ance, both billing and opera-
tional; policy development and
review to ensure compliance
with Federal & State laws and
guidelines. Our ideal candi-
date will have a minimum of 5
years in the healthcare field
with 3 years within a Compli-
ance Department. In addition,
this position requires a Health
Care Compliance Certificate.
Position also demands excel-
lent interpersonal, training,
written & oral communication
skills.
FCA offers excellent wages,
benefits & a rewarding work
environment. Qualified candi-
dates, email resume to
resumes@flcancer.com or
fax: 239-278-3278.
EEO/DFWP
No Smoking Work Site

You are cordially invited to attend our Nursing Allied Health
CTM"ai)r Where a team of Mana rswill bean hand to discuss
both permanent and seasonal ernprayment opportunities. Come
and enjoy delicious food, and register to win fabulous: prizes!

LPN
River Oaks is an Assisted
Living Community commit-
ted to providing quality of
care for seniors. We cur-
rently have an LPN opp
avail. Join our fantastic
Team! River Oaks
925 S. River Rd
Englewood, FL 34223
Fax: 941-474-2285

NO PATIENT
CARE INVOLVED!
F/T or P/T. Put your clinical
skills and exp. to work. We will
train you to perform medical
chart audits. You can expect
to receive not only a competi-
tive starting salary and P/T
benefits, but also: MON-FRI
DAYS, NO NIGHTS & NO HOL-
IDAYS. For consideration,
please FAX resume to
(847) 925-0893, or email
ReneeLindstrom@earthlink.net
EOE.

ADVERTISE JAMS OF CAPE HAZE
Seeking Cooks for
In AM/PM position
Call (941-697-2080
The Classifieds! or apply in person
WORSHIP LEADER GRILL COOKS
Must be able to lead modern
songs W/GUITAR for new CASHIERS
Church in Pt. Charlotte.Part- SERVERS
time. Call 941-815-8478
HOST

Detail Assistant, needed for
busy RV Dealership. Must
have valid D.L., must be able
to work independently, must
be reliable & productive. Apply
at Charlotte RV Service
23180 Harper Ave. Port Char-
lotte. (941)-883-5555

teams.
Line Technician
This is a semi-skilled, to high-
ly-skilled work in the operation
and maintenance of waste-
water collection, low-pressure
sewer and water distribution
systems.
Both positions must possess
and maintain valid Florida dri-k
vers license, Class A with N
endorsement or ability to
acquire within 90 days of hire.
Apply to Charlotte County
Human Resources
18500 Murdock Cir, Rm 140
Port Charlotte, FL 33948
Fax: 941-743-1254
E-Mail:
greatiobs@charlottefl.com
EOE Women and Minorities
are Encouraged to Apply
BUY IT!
SELL IT!
FIND IT!
SUN CLASSIFIED!

B & I CONTRACTORS A
LEADING COMMERCIAL
AND INDUSTRIAL
MECHANICAL CON-
TRACTOR IS HIRING!
"ARE YOU GETTING
WHAT YOU ARE
WORTH?"

"WE WANT YOU TO BE
PART OF OUR GROWING
COMPANY!" WE NEED
EXPERIENCED
PLUMBERS, SHEET METAL
WORKERS, SERVICE
TECHS, WELDERS, PIPE
FITTERS! Top-notch pay,
bonus plan, unmatchable
benefit package and we're
a solid EMPLOYEE
OWNED COMPANY that
has been in business for
more than forty-five years!
Call us to find out more
(239) 332-4646 ext. 248,
or check out our website
www.bandicontractors.com
for our other skilled labor
positions! You won't
regret it!
PLUMBERS AND HELPERS
NEEDED TO WORK CHAR. &
SARASOTA COUNTY, EXP.
NECESSARY, 423-1400

The Englewood Water
District is accepting
applications for the
following positions:

Come work at the Char-
lotic Sun, Ameriad's Best
. crir,,runity Daiy' ne-vipa.
per Thi! is an outstanding
opporruniy u t.)join0 a com-
Oany ohere ou make the
ditferenCet We are looking
I'r an e,.peren'Cied sales
iiaiiager ih a positive,
energetic, can do
approach 10 joir our adver-
tising team. We are looking
for a highly iTiotivaled ind
vidual who thrives on the
sales challenges and
enjos working in a posi
live lejiri iiiituriinient

Have an interest in fur-
niture industry
Truly believe the cus-
tomer comes first
WE OFFER:
The chance to make'
$30K to $50K per year
*A competitive benefit pkg
All the training you'll
need to be successful
with us

Stephens Furniture has,
openings in full time
sales. If you want to learn
more about retail for a
future career we should
talk. Call Linda Hickey at
941-493-0087
to schedule an appt.
GROWING BUILDER IN
AREA LOOKING FOR
CAREER ORIENTATED
INDIVIDUALS TO JOIN
OUR TEAM!
LICENSED SALES AGENT
and SITTER POSITIONS
AVAILABLE
SOUTH GULF COVE / ROTON-
DA AREA
FUN AND INVITING WORKING
ENVIRONMENT!
FAX RESUME TO ADAMS
HOMES 941- 625-3892
I NEED CASH? I
IMMEDIATE OPENING for
Outside Sales for print
media. Excellent commission
structure with $525 base plus
benefits. Send resume by fax
(941) 639-4832.
Innovative real estate office
needs agents to work in local
residential, luxury homes,
commercial and Caribbean
International sales! Two open-
ings available. No desk fees,
all advertising paid, leads pro-
vided. Call today! 941-575-
9775

Is It Time |
For A New
Career?

Come work at the
Charlotte Sun
Newspaper, located in
Port Charlotte, Florida.
We are America's Best
Community Daily !
Newspaper. This is an
outstanding opportunity
Sto join a company where
you make the difference.
We are looking for
Advertising Sales peo-
ple with a positive, ener-
getic, can-do approach
Sto join our advertising
team. We are looking for
a highly motivated indi-1
vidual who thrives on the
sales challenges and
enjoys working in a posi-
Stive team environment.
Some sales experience.
is a plus ;: .

We Offer:
SeCompetitive salary
plus commission
*Vacation
*Health insurance
SSick and short
term disability
e401 (k) with
company match
aTraining
Stable company that
is very Community
minded and involved.

"They all laughed when I
took a beginning tax
course, but I wanted the
excitement of learning a
new skill. Their laughter
turned to envy when my
new skills led to an attrac-
tive new part-time career."
FREE Tax School begins
January 5th. for qualified
applicants. Call toll free
877-490-6695 for free
24 hour recorded message
with details.
CAREER CHANGE
Mortgage Corp. seeks self-
starters. Will train. $100K
potential. 1-800-632-0434
85 UNIT SENIOR
LIVING COMMUNITY
WITH THE FOLLOWING
POSITIONS

Can't find that
part-time job that
fits your schedule?
Looking to make
a full time income
without the
full-time hours?

Come join us!

EARLY MORNING
NEWSPAPER
DELIVERY FOR THE
ENGLEWOOD
SUN

NO
COLLECTIONS
INVOLVED!

We are looking for
a few select
individuals
to provide delivery
service of the utmost
quality to c .
our customers.
Are you
service oriented?
Are you
conscientious?
Would you enjoy
being part of the
fastest growing daily
that serves
your community?
Are you interested in
potentially earning,
$175.
in monthly bonuses
for providing ,
first-class service?.

Get paid weekly!
All you need is a reliable
vehicle, valid Florida
a Drivers License,
auto insurance & a
social security card

Don't wait!
Only a few
opportunities
are available!

For consideration,
please contact
Steve or Bruce in the
Circulation Dept.
(941) 681-3000
x227
or stop in and visit us in
picturesque, historic
downtown Englewood at
167 W. Dearborn St.

ASK US

HOW
you can place a
PICTURE
of your item
for sale
in your
classified ad!
A Bargain Hunters Delight
Check the
Classifieds first!
A Whole Marketplace of
shopping is right at your
fingertips!
Call The Sun Classifieds
Today!
From Venice, Englewood,
North Port Areas
Call 941-207-1200
From Pt. Charlotte Areas
Call 941-206-1200

Blue Jean Job
Seeking Sharp Go-getters
Able to Travel USA Who Enjoy
Working in a Rock & Roll Envi-
ronment. Demo chemical
products. Must be able to
start immediately. For Info
Kelly 1-800-201-3293 9a-6p.

ACCESS TO A COMPUTER?
$25 $75/per hr. PT or FT
888-575-0344 or go to:
www.dreamsdocometrue4us.com
ARE YOU SERIOUS?
Want to become wealthy?
You furnish the desire and
motivation and we show you
our proven business.
www.secret-biz.com/worksjn

3000

NOTICES

3010
ANNOUNCEMENTS
FRIENDS OF THE JACARANDA
LIBRARY, INC. will hold the
Annual. Meeting on December
13, 2006, 3:00 P.M. at the
Jacaranda Library meeting
room.

eals, housework, shopping
errands & more. Up to
4hrs. care. Top refs. We d
#229499.
VISITING ANGELS
941)-496-9600
ALL CHILDCARE FACILITIES
MUST INCLUDE WITH ADVER-
TISEMENT STATE OR LOCAL
AGENCY LICENSE NUMBER.
Energetic CNA would like
to assist you with all your
local 1 references, Tracy

PUT CLASSIFIED
TO WORK FOR YOU
Venice, Englewood,
North Port 207-1200
Pt. Charlotte Areas
Call 206-1200
FLORIDA STATE LAW requires
all child care centers and day
care businesses to register
with the State of Florida. The
Sun Newspapers will not
knowingly accept advertising
which is in violation of the law.

NEED AN EMPLOYER
WHO ISN'T AFRAID OF
NEW TECHNOLOGY?
MAYBE IT'S TIME YOU
CHANGE JOBS -
AND SHARPEN YOUR
SKILLS.
OUR ONLINE
EMPLOYMENT JOB
MATCHING SOLUTION
WILL PROVIDE YOU
WITH 100'S OF JOB
LISTINGS WHERE YOU
CAN LOGIN TO YOUR
ACCOUNT TO VIEW
POTENTIAL JOBS THAT
MATCH YOUR
CRITERIA.
YOUR PATH TO A
BETTER JOB COULD
BEGIN TODAY
WWW.SUN-HERALD.COM